Things Worth Fighting For
by Cosmic Sky
Summary: He was a mercenary and she was a knight, the only thing that could be said about them was they had fighting in common. That wasn't exactly true. Catherine had learned a lot of things tailing the "Ashen Demon", among them was he was a man worth fighting with, and fighting for. Byleth could say the same for her, even if she didn't believe it herself.
1. Chapter 1-Happy to See You

**Hello again, everyone. As I promised, yet another idea I got from playing Three Houses. This time the stars are Byleth featuring one of the (many) ladies that completely swept me off my feet, the wielder of the Thunderbrand, Catherine! Now their supports honestly caught me a bit off-guard, of all the characters, Catherine was the last one I EVER expected to play the whole stalker with a crush trope…but she did and I loved how things ended between them. Then there were the similarities I noticed between the two of them, namely how they've both defined themselves as fighters, but the key difference (or commonality) being what they fight for, and who they live for. This little piece takes a closer examination at those things. Hope you enjoy. **

**Oh, and quick heads up, this story takes place during the Azure Moon route so commentary and guest appearances from Byleth's little cubs so forth. **

**I do not own anything.**

* * *

_**Chapter 1-Happy to See You**_

Relief, that was the first thing that she thought upon seeing him. It was strange, she knew that she'd grown an attachment to the tale-haired professor, but what she was feeling now was a tad more than what she was expecting. Catherine wasn't just relieved that one of their most capable fighters was still alive, she was happy that one of the people she'd come to value greatly was still breathing. She'd already lost enough people in her life, and losing the black-clothed mercenary turned professor might have left yet another eternal wound on her soul.

All those thoughts flashed through Catherine before she finally registered that it was just Professor Eisner, Byleth. Just him.

No Lady Rhea.

Admittedly, that had been a harsh blow, but one that she was surprisingly able to recover from. It was strange; as most people guessed, she would be a violent and impatient wreck. She could have been just that in learning that the archbishop was still missing.

But she wasn't.

Catherine was composed and focused, she had to be. Under her were near two hundred knights and warriors who all looked to her for guidance. Climbing through the ranks Catherine had learned that one had to keep a grip on their emotions, or else those below them would suffer the consequences. She loved the archbishop from the bottom of her heart, but that same heart bounced with love and care for every man and woman that served under her. They needed her attention the most right now. And hearing news of the Ashen Demon's survival greatly empowered her to look after them. It empowered _her_. Catherine was at a complete loss as to why that was; it was a question that continuously clawed at her even as she tried to focus on making her way to the monastery. Unfortunately for her, the feeling only grew the closer they got.

Then, it all just…burst upon seeing him.

Internally, she breathed a sigh of relief seeing him well. Somehow, he hadn't aged a single day since the attack on Garreg Mach. Some would have actually found it unsettling, in fact, some did. She'd heard the whispers on her way up. Predictably, they'd only added to the already grim rumors surrounding the "Ashen Demon". A phantom of war some had called him. Well, when Catherine saw him, he was not a phantom of war, but a beckon of hope.

_Look me, putting so much faith in you like you're…like you're…her. _As much as she wanted to stop herself, she couldn't. As she watched Byleth converse with Seteth and Gilbert the comparisons simply continued. That said, she couldn't help but notice a stark difference between Byleth and her lady-the former was more militant. Catherine recognized the glint in his eyes. They were proof that he was his father's side. Instinctively, her gut lurched as her mind drifted back to Jeralt. _Would you have stood with us against the empire? Stupid question, your son's standing against the empress and that's likely all the reason you'd need. _She could have sworn that Shamir was whispering in her ears, telling her to stop dwelling on the past. Besides, it wasn't like she knew the Blade Breaker personally, not even when he and his son came back to the monastery. The son, on the other hand, she liked to think she knew quite well. After all, she had spent almost half a year observing him.

"_You mean stalking." _

She had to physically shake her head to get the archer's voice out of it. An act that didn't go unnoticed, unfortunately. Byleth of course asked if she was alright. She half-lied through her teeth and said she was.

_Focus. Focus! _Repeated the swordswoman again and again. _Now isn't the time for your personal feelings or hang-ups! There're bigger things to worry about, like everyone's survival! Like Lady Rhea's survival!_ The image of the light-haired woman flashed through Catherine's mind delivering a sharp bolt of pain that pulsated through her chest. Instinctively, she bit her lip at the thought of it. Subconsciously, her eyes wondered over to Byleth.

Like that, the pain lessened. The world looked a tad bit brighter. Her grim outlook cracked and she allowed a small sliver of optimism to infect her thinking. Shooting a quick glance around the rest of the assembled leaders and resistance fighters, she felt comforted in knowing that the feeling was apparently mutual all around.

_Look at you, _Catherine quietly marveled allowing her entire body to relax. _You're at the center of all of us, breathing new life into a resistance that was struggling to hold itself together. Restoring the confidence of students that had nearly lost faith. _Subtly, she looked over to the side, where the prince of Faerghus had stormed off to. Just as her heart burned to learn of her lady's whereabouts and her safety, it also ached seeing the once bright and idealistic prince of her homeland now a broken wreck. He couldn't continue on in such a state.

Looking back at the now speaking professor, a smile briefly blossomed on her face.

Something told her that Dimitri wouldn't remain the lifeless killing machine that he'd become for much longer. She hoped.

* * *

"Seteth, have you seen the Professor?"

Briefly, the green-haired man's eyes flashed with surprise, only to quickly soften afterwards. "Ah, Catherine. I do believe he's making the rounds, checking on everyone. I believe he's trying to learn who is still among us." A shadow fell over his face, and hers. Nearly all members of the Blue Lions had been assembled back at Garreg Mach, some of them were missing. Some of them…were dead. Among them was the largest, quietest, and most dependable of their number. The Ashen Demon had hid his pain well, but a handful could see the truth. Seteth could sympathize with his pain, as could Catherine. "I believe if you ask around, you'll probably find him. Personally, I would start with searching the fishing pond, we both know how he enjoyed fishing."

"Yeah, he…goes down there whenever he wants some quiet time." Clarified the blonde. Whenever his mind grew heavy with thoughts, she noticed how he seemed to gravitate towards the fishing pond. It was his quiet little place of peace, or at least one of them. "If not there, I can always try the roofs. That'll show he's really out of it."

"I see, then best of-wait a minute. The roofs?" Exclaimed the wyvern-rider, his face becoming one of building horror. "By the goddess, don't tell me he's been scaling the battlements and towers! Tell me Flayn hasn't been doing the same!"

Cursing as she realized she'd let one secret slip, Catherine began to casually back towards the door. "You know what, forget what I said. By the way, if you hear anything regarding Lady Rhea's whereabouts, just let me know. In fact, make sure I'm the first one to know. See you at the next war council!" She chose not to look back, partially because she didn't want to be the one to explain that Byleth had been teaching every member of his class "urban traversing". He'd told them the actual name of the lesson was "parkour", a free-range style of movement used to cross forested and even urban landscapes. Such lessons had included the students being made to run from rooftop to rooftop and tree branch to tree branch.

Flayn had been completely and utterly captivated by the lesson. Byleth and Dimitri made her promise to never let her older brother know of the lesson least the teal-haired professor find himself on the receiving end of a long and overblown lecture.

Her blue eyes glanced upward at the evening sky, a breath-taking mixture of red, orange, and purple. The last time she'd seen the skies over the monastery they'd been darkened by the columns of smoke born from wildfires eating away at everything in sight. To say it had been a horrible day would have been an understatement. Catherine could remember everything in perfect detail, she hadn't slept that night, or the next two days afterwards. In the words of Alois and Shamir, she looked like a zombie. They weren't exactly wrong; the life had been sucked out of her. It'd taken another two days before she could pull herself back together to lead.

_We all need that time, the moment when we can break apart then start pulling ourselves back together. You sure as hell needed yours after Jeralt was slain. _The training grounds were in surprisingly pristine condition. Matter of fact, Catherine couldn't help but find something eerily beautiful about them as they'd begun to be overtaken by greenery. Moss and grass spreading along the tiled ground, pillars, and walls. A surefire indicator that time had passed, time without the grounds being maintained. Such a thing never would have happened during her time at the academy. Then again, during her time, there hadn't been a resurgent Adrestian Empire setting out to reconquer all of Fódlan. Worse yet, the empire of her time was highly preferable to the one they were all fighting against now.

Catherine shut her eyes and let the cool wind blow across the training grounds, the breeze pushing her into the past, five years ago. She had been prepared to fight waves upon waves of enemy knights and soldiers, but Demonic Beasts had been unexpected. In fact, her stomach had dropped when she saw the forming legions of black scales and feathers that belonged to the warped monstrosities. Catherine had sucked in a breath seeing Adrestian soldiers marching lockstep with the monsters, damn near commanding them in battle as if they were ordinary beasts of battle. As she and the rest of the resistance had so painfully learned, they were exactly that; needless to say, resisting the resurgent empire became twice as daunting as before.

Not that it was enough to make her give up. Nor any of the allies she'd now reunited with, least of all their new leader.

"Coming back here to dwell on the past…or are you looking for the Professor? For the record, I saw him about an hour ago."

Neutral-faced, the blonde turned to her right and found the Swordmaster of the Blue Lions standing before her, his arms crossed and his expression expectedly flat. "To be honest, both. I came here because…it's been a while. A whole lot of fond memories of this place, memories that I would have loved to share with the generation that came after yours." Briefly, her lips ticked upward as she allowed her mind to temporarily picture the scene. Of course, it didn't last long as she found herself standing back in reality. Still, the smile remained as she faced Felix. "Speaking of happy memories, I'm sure you've got a few of this place. I specifically remember you spending day and night here, breaking practice swords and spears with Byleth, Sylvain, Dedue, and of course Dimitri." That finally dropped the smile from her face, and it soured his. "How's…how's the prince doing by the way?"

His response was quick and direct. "How in the hell should I know how it's doing? I'm not it's master nor its caretaker."

Something inside of Catherine boiled hearing Felix refer to the prince of Faerghus in such a way. Albeit the young lord had…lost quite a bit in the way of sanity, he was still a human being, he was still a man, and most importantly-he was still the person that Felix called his best friend, even if he didn't want to admit it. In a way, it was funny as technically speaking, Dimitri was still her prince, and he still at times treated her like one of his subjects in spite of renouncing all claim to her past. Or at least, he used to.

"You know, you could stand to be a tad bit more…gentle about this." Catherine began. It wasn't like she lost control of her emotions often, at least not when it wasn't personal. "I don't think I need to remind you that the person you're referring to is not only the future king of Faerghus, but also your best friend and one of the most dangerous fighters here."

"Dangerous fighters…" Mused the blue-haired swordsman. "Yes, I suppose you could call it that…in the same way that you'd let a mad dog loose upon your enemies. From the looks of things, we will have one such opportunity."

An angry knot formed on the knight's face, only to fade as she reigned in her anger and put on a semi-professional face. She should have known this was how a talk with Felix was going to go. He was equal parts her and equal parts Shamir, blue hair included. "Look, I know you two have had…strained relationships, hell, you've had strained relationships with everyone since…" His brow knitted, an indicator that he was bracing himself. Catherine caught herself just in the nick of time. "Since Glenn, goddess rest his soul. You still have friends around you, people who care about you. Maybe instead of sulking you should try doing something constructive."

"That's what I came here to do." Coolly shot back the blue-haired swordsman moving right past her. "Once it becomes known that Professor Byleth is back, people are going to start flocking to this place, to join us. There's a high chance some of them are going to be inexperienced novices that have never held a blade, or wonderers whose skills have slacked off in-between the booze and whatnot. We're going to need a place to forge them into something capable of repelling the empire."

Near instantly, Catherine's expression perked up. Giving a hearty laugh, she marched up and slapped the heir to house Fraldarius on the shoulder. "Gee, it sounds almost like rather than hunting down the enemy you're going to be training our green recruits yourself! Perhaps the Professor's been rubbing off on you!"

A dismissive snort flew from his hips as he crossed his arms and looked off at the moss-covered walls. "He already has enough to deal with: strategizing our counterattacks, organizing our forces…and bringing the boar back to his senses. If anyone can do any of those things…it is him."

There were a number of things in that statement that could have surprised a person, but without a doubt, the most crucial one was the last listed reason. Catherine's face softened while her hand withdrew itself from Felix's shoulder. She noticed how his entire body eased up, like a massive weight had been taken off of his shoulders. The Knight of Seiros knew in some ways, a burden had been released from him. "Alright then, I'll leave repair of the training grounds in your hands, just don't forget to pace yourself. We've still got a war to fight."

"Just go find the Professor…something tells me your presence is one he's likely been longing for since he returned to us." Felix stated.

Again, the younger swordsman caught her completely and utterly off-guard with his words. Quickly, she fell back, absent-mindedly scratching her head. Now she was the one looking away, heat suddenly swelling about behind her cheeks. It was a good thing Felix was keeping his face forward, not that he would have had anything to say about the building blush on her face. Now, the likes of Mercedes and Annette and perhaps even Ingrid, those would have been different stories.

When Catherine looked back, she didn't see ruins, she saw two figures-one herself and the other Garreg Mach's most enigmatic professor. Ringing in her ears wasn't the wind, but the clashing of wooden swords and the grunting and yelling of two warriors locked in a fierce spar. The memory had perhaps been seared into Catherine's mind for it had started out a light jest and ended with the two of them trying their earnest to defeat one another using every technique they knew of. The end result was a pair of broken practice swords leaving them to resorting to using their fists. Catherine placed her hand over her chest, even through her breastplate armor, she could feel it beating in remembrance of that day.

In the end, she'd conceded victory to Byleth. She could have kept on fighting…at the cost of her right eye.

The teal-haired professor's fingers were mere inches from her right pupil, his hand a pair of plyers that could wrench out her eye in a second; the momentary pain would be enough for him to knock her onto her backside and subdue her, or kill her. It had filled her with both wonder and dread.

"_One day, you're going to have to teach me how to do that." _She'd said to him as they took a moment to catch their breath.

He looked to her with naked surprise. _"S-S-Sure. Y-You're…you're not angry I came within a hair's breath of poking your eye out?" _

Catherine smiled as she recalled her own laugh, letting her head fall back and feel the hot breeze of yesterday on her face. _"Angry? I'm impressed! In case you've forgotten, I'm lauded as one of the strongest knights in all of Fódlan, probably second to your old man! And you just beat me by a sound margin, albeit I could have lost my eye and chose to keep on fighting, but even then you could have maintained the upper hand. I'm starting to see why you were made a professor. Combat ability like that…seems like even I've still got some room to grow and some things to learn." _

Byleth had looked to her with wide eyes rimmed with shock. As the realization sunk in, the omnipresent frown on his face melted into a small smile. Catherine wished it was bigger, but just seeing him doing something other than frown and stare was enough. _"Well, if you don't mind being taught by a swordsman half your age, then feel free to stop by my class." _

She was hurting, but not enough that she couldn't lift her arm and smack his shoulder, playfully of course. _"Hey now, don't go confusing me with Manuela. I'll have you know that I haven't even peaked thirty yet. As for you…huh, I actually have no idea how old you are. You have to be at least drinking age, right?" _

"_Maybe I am, maybe I'm not." _Laughed the mercenary-turned-professor. It was a wonderful sound, something that Catherine wished he could do more. He rose upward, an arm extended to her. _"Speaking of Manuela, let's go see her. I imagine she won't be happy with these injuries. Best get that out of the way before we head to the dining hall for something to eat." _

Catherine never told anyone, least of all Shamir or Lady Rhea, but that had been on of the most enjoyable dinners in a while.

That memory is why the next place she decided to search was the dinning hall.

* * *

Or what was left of it.

"Well…at the very least the place is still standing." Muttered the rogue princess looking at the decerped mess that was once the academy's dining hall. To say that time had not been kind to the place would have been an understatement, yet saying it had been cruel would have been a step too far. As she said, the dining hall was still standing, it was in one piece at most, which was the best many could ask for.

"Admittedly, it isn't much, but we're working restoring this place to its former glory, no, making it better than it was before." Declared a bold masculine voice. Catherine knew it quite well.

The day the empire had attacked, battle lines had been drawn. It went without saying that the line drew a clear divide between the students in the Black Eagles…against everyone else, faculty included. However, some had decided to jump across the line. Ferdinand Von Aegir was one such individual. Arguably, he was the stand-out example.

Unlike her, Ferdinand had made the decision to abandon his homeland willingly, and turn against the very people who'd been his housemates (up to a point), and stand with the rest of them. A decision that had cost him and his family everything they'd ever strived for.

And yet he stood before her, sweat-covered and his hands dirty with a bright smile on his face. Beside him stood Mercedes, an equally joyfully smile on her face.

"Ms. Catherine! It's a pleasure to see you! We'd…welcome you into the hall but as you can see it's…" Nervously laughed the blonde indicating to the dozens of workings moving about around them.

Catherine returned her laugh. "A bit of a work in progress, I can tell. Looks like we're going to be having our meals outdoors, just like camping. Should be fun."

"Hopefully, only for a few a days at best. As you can see, we're hard at work repairing not just the dining hall, but the rest of the monastery as well. By the end of the week it should be-"

_**CRA-ACCCK! **_

"Ah crap! Everyone, get clear, fast!"

As if to spite the fallen noble, a section of the right-side wall gave out, the stood finally crumbling away due to the delicate efforts of the knights attempting to fortify it. Luckily, no one was hurt, but they could see that it meant more work was going to have to be done. Catherine shot a stray glance in Ferdinand's direction. Instead of disappointment, his eyes burned with a familiar determination, the same determination that had propelled him through lesson after lesson and allowed for him to jump over the boundary and fight with the rest of them against the empire.

"Ms. Catherine, if you'll excuse me, it seems that I'm going to be working quite a bit late. Have no worry though, for should the imperial army come knocking I, Ferdinand Von Aegir will be among the first to meet them!" Spinning on his heel, he rushed over, quickly asking if the workers were alright. Afterwards, he began examining the remaining wall as well as the damages. Catherine could see the gears turning in his head. Ferdinand hadn't been much of an interior designer the last time she'd seen him, almost three weeks ago; apparently, things had changed.

"Professor Byleth's return has really reenergized him." Explained Mercedes watching the orange-haired noble get to work, dishing out orders while also doing his part to clear away the wreckage. Any blocks still usable would be reused in the wall's construction, those too cracked would be thrown out.

"He's far from alone. Byleth coming back…it's just the second wind we've all been yearning for to be honest." Replied back the tan-skinned woman. "Mercedes, if you don't mind me asking, have you seen him around?"

Her face was enough of an answer for Catherine. "You mean you haven't been able to find him either? Ferdinand and I were actually on our way to look for him. Last we heard he was by the fishing pond, but I don't think here's there anymore." There as a pause as she placed her hands over her chest, her warm face darkened with worry. "I…believe the Professor might need a moment to himself. It is a lot to take in, being gone five years and coming back to find so much has changed. Especially regarding Dimitri." She added.

_Here I am worried sick about Lady Rhea while you have Dimitri, who might as well be just as lost. _Realized the thunder-wielding warrior. She felt stupid for not connecting the dots quicker, or rather, for not seeing the similarities between their respective situations. Still, the urge to see him on her own, for it to be just the two of them remained strong.

"Ms. Catherine, if I may," started Mercedes. "I know you're probably worried sick about Lady Rhea, we all are, but when you find Professor Byleth, could you please…be gentle with him? While we've all depended on him, I can't help but feel like we may be placing a larger burden on his shoulders this time."

"It is, goddess knows Seteth and the rest of us would like to take it off of him…but we can't." Shaping up, she reached out and placed a comforting hand on the healer's shoulder. "But we can be there for him when he needs us. Kind of like the way you've been there for our little noble in exile over there. Speaking of which, you're not going to be giving him extra seconds or thirds when dinner comes, will you?"

Her light jab lightened the mood, and got a good blush and stammer out of the female Bishop. She assured her that such a thing wouldn't be happening. Mercedes informed her that if she couldn't find the professor then wait until it was time for diner, he'd surely make himself known, especially on a night such as this one. Catherine thanked her and left her and Ferdinand to finish with their repair work. She had no intention of waiting another hour or two to speak with the teal-haired swordsman, especially if they'd be surrounded by so many other people.

Leaving the dining hall, she spotted the flocking of a multitude of birds. One thing she noticed about birds was that they could fly in flocks or fly sole, much like how humans could fight alone or together. That said, whenever in a group, there was always one that stood above, no, in front of the others. A leader, one who watched over the rest. Catherine turned about, facing the monastery towers with soft eyes. She now had an idea of where to look for her target.

* * *

Naturally, it was windy, incredibly windy. For that reason, the windows and shutters on the lookout tower were normally kept shut, at least during the colder seasons. During the spring and summer, it was a tad different. Now, that wasn't quite an option. Half of the tower had been blown apart. Catherine hadn't seen it herself, but word was that an avian demonic beast had crashed into the stony lookout. If so, the remains had long since vanished leaving the shattered tower top exposed to the elements.

Just the kind of place that an assumed loner and quiet soul like the Ashen Demon would find appealing. And there Catherine found him.

"Guess it's a miracle that this tower's still standing, huh?" She laughed catching his attention.

He smiled when he saw her, which made Catherine's heart flutter a bit, not that she let Byleth notice that. Hell would freeze over before she allowed such emotions to show in front of him. Yet.

"How'd you get up here? Last I checked the stairs were gone." He calmly asked. His jacket had been folded up and placed to the side, along with his gloves and sword, wrapped in protective wrapping that he himself had created. Byleth's sleeves had been rolled to his elbows. From a glance, he looked like he should have been down by the fishing pond, not close to a hundred feet up on a ledge of a ruined watchtower. It was unusual, but Byleth Eisner was an unusual person. Not that that was a bad thing.

"I climbed my way up, how else." Joyously laughing, she removed her gloves and armor and weapons, placing them to the side with his own clothing and items.

"Kind of surprising given all that armor you wear." He absent-mindedly mused.

Grinning, she sat beside him and lightly jabbed at his shoulder. "Hey now, don't make me have to throw you off this tower. Now, there was this one guy I knew five years ago who taught at the academy. He was an odd teacher, but as I saw, an extremely capable one. One that dare I say it, deserved the position and praise he received. "Amongst the things he taught, there was this skill, parkour, that allowed for one to move through all sorts of terrain through running and climbing. I took a class along with his students…and I found I liked it. Over the years, I kept on practicing, after all, you never know when you might need it. Especially when you're the underdog in a fight."

His smile remained on his face, if only for a moment longer. It fell, a deep and sullen frown replacing it. Catherine knew that this was coming. She'd expected it once she realized that at the top of the tower awaited. "I'm…glad that at least one of my lessons helped."

"Your lessons have done more than help, they've saved lives." It wasn't like her to do this; it was Lady Rhea's and Seteth's. But the former wasn't there, and the latter had other things to do. "Byleth…those kids are still alive today because of what you taught them."

"Almost all of them." He corrected, his body tense and his aura dark. "One student is dead and another is a guilt-ridden, violent shell of a man."

"And the others are still there, for the shell of a man…and for you." She pressed back with a bit more force than she'd intended. "Look, it's understandable that you're depressed over Dedue and Dimitri…but the others are still alive. We're _all _still alive, and we're all willing to follow you wherever you may lead us. That…does it scare you? You can tell me, I promise, I won't let anyone know whatever your answer is."

He was gauging her on what his answer should be instead of what he was really feeling. Sighing, she reached out with her left hand and placed her hand on his chest. Spreading her fingers out, she paused and waited. Again.

"You know…I'm usually good at reading people, their intentions, their fighting style, and their background. But with you…" Catherine sighed, genuine sadness coloring her face. "With you, it's hard to tell. Dammit, I can't even feel your own heartbeat! At least then I'd know that you're alive! You're like a walking corpse!" Quickly, the sadness contorted into anger. One would have expected a blow to come, but it never did. "Or at least…that's what I'd say if I didn't know you. You're still like an enigma…but you're one that I'll follow to the edges of Fódlan."

"What?"

The shock on his face was actually pretty cute, not that Catherine would let him know that. Well, she did snicker, snickering that turned into laughter. "Seriously, you're either incredibly humble, or just really that dense! Then again, from what I've seen of you, it's a little bit of both. Coming to Garreg March…that was your first time with real human interaction, wasn't it? I can tell that you're still learning." She didn't move as Byleth moved his hand atop of hers. From her previous observations she'd spotted the small number of scars on his hands. Arguably the most telling one was a jagged line that ran across his right-hand knuckles. A "trophy" from a foolhardy attempt to parry a sword barehanded. "The things I've seen you do, only someone with life in them can do that…and the way you've interacted with others, only someone with a heart full of love for others could be that generous. Heh, you're way more caring and righteous than me."

"I'm just a mercenary, or…at least I was one. And one that tended to unnerve even his allies and employers." Meekly offered the mint-haired warrior. "You're a Knight of Seiros."

"Yeah…but being a knight doesn't always mean you're some paragon of virtue. I'm certainly not." Her laugh was hollow, empty just like the tower they sat upon. "Byleth…I've…I've done things that I'm not proud of, I've thought things that would probably unnerve you-"

"Like picturing cutting me down so you could score brownie points with Rhea?"

It was a double-whammy, both the statement and the tone of voice it was delivered in. Mouth agape, she stared back at the divine-powered instructor. Instead of a grown, his lips were curved upward, his eyes pointed and his demeanor relaxed like he was sitting on a couch. A complete and total contrast to the stone-faced young man she'd begun tailing five years ago.

She laughed. He snickered.

"Alright, if you remember that, then you should get the hint of where I'm going with this! You had a few missions that involved putting down rebellious knights and traitors and defectors. I know so because I was there with you on some of them."

"Yeah, I remember some of those missions." He said with a wistful smile. "You're trash talk was…meh, it could have used some improvement."

"Excuse me?!"

"You seemed the rough around the edges type when I first met you, vocally speaking of course. When you did start tossing out insults, I could tell you were holding yourself back." He explained.

"Because I was." Catherine clarified hiking one leg up and lacing her fingers across her knee. "You know…I…didn't start out a Knight of Seiros, or a member of the church. I-"

"I'm sorry."

She blinked. "W-W-What? S-S-Sorry for what?" Though she was the one who wielded the power of the fury of the heavens with her sword, he was the one who could move like lightning. One minute, he was smiling and laughing with her, now he looked like the bearer of bad news. Seeing his expression, Catherine started to put the pieces together quickly.

Byleth's mouth moved faster. "At the Battle of Garreg Mach five years ago…Rhea was with me; she was protecting me."

"From…Those that Slither in the Dark?" She questioned, her mouth suddenly feeling like sandpaper.

He merely shook his head. "It doesn't matter. She was with me; I went down and she was…the last I saw was her screaming my name. I failed her. I failed Dimitri and everyone. I-gah!"

At least she gave him a minute to compose himself. It wasn't like she'd hit him particularly hard. Had Catherine wanted to, the whip-sword-user would have been nursing a bruised cheek or plummeting to his doom. "Look, I didn't come all the way up here to listen to a string of apologies from you! When the battle ended and Lady Rhea," to get her point across, her reached up and grabbed at his head, a completely and utterly unexpected act that caught him off guard. Good, she had his attention. "_And you_, I wanted to tear my hair out! Hell, I didn't sleep for the next couple of days because I was desperate to find _either _of you! Lady Rhea, reports of her capture eventually started to spread. I had no idea of verifying if they were real, but I felt relieved because I knew that she was alive. As for you…do you have any idea what it feels like to have someone in your life suddenly disappear without any warning? Not even know if they're alive or dead? If they're the latter they don't even have a body to bury? I worried for Lady Rhea…and I worried about you, Byleth. I didn't want to believe you were dead, I couldn't."

His eyes were practically sparkling now. Catherine wanted to look away, but she couldn't. It was like she was under some sort of spell. Maybe it was that she didn't want to look away. A whirlwind of emotions was raging in Byleth's eyes, a storm she had set off. Now it was her job to quell it.

"Why?" He simply asked.

"Because…you're…you're a comrade…and a friend. You're someone that I feel like I can trust, that I trusted back then and that I trust now." She answered with her heart thumping in her chest. "I've…I've lost things before, and I'm never going to get some of them back. To be honest…some of the things I've lost, I don't think I deserve to have them back. I try not to think about the past, only the present and the future. Part of those two things are the people I love and care about. Lady Rhea's obviously at the top of that list, but after her there's…a whole lot of people. You're one of them." She had to remove her hand, quickly. Something was pushing for her to slid it down lower, around his neck. Not to ring it, but just to…hold it there. Mentally slapping herself, she tried to get her mind back on track. "Down there, everyone's looking for you. Ferdinand in particular."

Expectedly, a shadow fell over the Enlightened One's face. "I heard that Edelgard stripped him and his family of…everything really."

Catherine caught the near disappointed look on his face. She knew it well enough as she'd seen it in the classroom several times. "Compared to how some of the other nobles ended up, his family actually got off light."

Byleth racked his right hand across his head pushing up his mint-green strands. "Honestly, when I heard the Edelgard had been crowned empress, I knew that a purge of the nobility was going to be one of the first things she'd do. Those who posed no threat but were annoyances at best basically confined to their homes, which they themselves no longer owned. The more dangerous ones…word was that some resisted and they were cut down," there was a beat. "But from what I've heard, they were given decent burials."

"Honestly, I blame the peace of the times." Catherine groaned. "A royal crowning, a violent purge and last but not least, an invasion, all of it seems like it was torn out of a history book."

"I can actually point to several instances."

"Of course you can." She chuckled.

Smiling a little at her statement, he turned his gaze back to the sky, now a deeper shade of blue and purple than it'd been almost half an hour before. "Ferdinand, I can't imagine how he must be feeling, but he's still he's still putting on a brave face like he always did."

"Because it's what he does. Isn't that one of the reasons why you accepted him into your class?"

The smile grew. "Well, there was that, I could see in his eyes he truly wanted to learn from me. He was a very driven student. He made a great motivator for Felix." Four times he'd arranged practice fights between the two nobles, and four times he'd been given quite a spectacle. To the shock of many, the Black Eagles transfer had held his own, wining once and tying a second time. He promised Felix that one day he'd overtake him; Felix boldly welcomed him to try. "If we can end this without the empire's destruction, I'd be grateful. But I'm…not going to hold my breath."

That was it, the last gate fell leaving the two swordsmen in an uncomfortable silence. Glancing over at the blonde, Byleth could see the question building in her mouth. He exhaled through his mouth, an indicator for her to come out and ask it.

She sighed as well, a hand now racking across her hair. "Byleth, how long did you know that Edelgard was the Flame Emperor?"

"Since…for a while." He admitted, his brow heavy. "Dimitri and I did some spying while Monica was hiding amongst our ranks. We came upon them having a private meeting in the monastery grounds. He wanted us to take them then and there, but I held him back, knowing doing so would only result in a mess that would likely cost us our lives. Looking back, perhaps jumping in might have been the better idea."

"Like hell it would be." Catherine hotly countered. It surprisingly wasn't that hard to picture the professor and the prince snooping around and stumbling upon some hidden secret. She and a few of her classmates had done the same during their youth, albeit they never happened upon such…life-changing secrets. "All you two would have done was gotten yourselves killed or captured. Anyways, go on, something happened, I can see it in your eyes."

"The Flame Emperor threw a dagger at the wall." His gaze was now skyward, distant and far-off. The sky was completely dark in his eyes, around them were a number of buildings whose shadows he and his student-lord stuck to. "Dimitri pulled out the dagger and recognized it. I put the pieces together some time later." Byleth looked back down, directly at Catherine, whose blue eyes he met without cowardice. "If you want to hate me for not speaking up sooner, you have every right."

Now it was her turn to breath out and steady her emotions. "Byleth," she started in a startling gentle voice. "I…I don't hate you. From what you've told me, I think…you might have made the right call. Let's look at this from a logical point of view-say you accuse Edelgard. The only evidence you would have would be a dagger and your and Dimitri's testimony. Not that you two didn't have upstanding reputations, but it wouldn't have been enough. Not to mention a full-out investigation at the time would have been costly and likely just set off a powder keg. You said that Monica was one of the ones you were spying on, that means those bastards still had their spies in the monastery. Then there's Edelgard herself, who, terrorist or not, was still future empress of the Adrestian Empire and accusing her of conspiracy would have been a firestorm all on its own. Believe me, I've been at the heart of such scandals, they _never _end well. To say nothing of how Dimitri would have taken everything…" She frowned while his eyes grew heavy with regret.

"How long as he been like this? How did he get the eyepatch?" Pressed the divine warrior.

"I don't know, all I can tell you is after his imprisonment he…well, as you've seen, Dimitri's done a marvelous job in giving the empire something, or someone, to be scared of." Truthfully, she'd done her best, but even Thunder Catherine had to admit, there was something undeniably frightening about the one-eyed prince. She fought like a person with purpose, he fought like a beast constantly out for blood, and more often than not he got it. In barrels' worth.

Byleth whistled. "He always did have above average strength. In fact, once he got going, he was near a force of nature, especially when his darkness was released."

"So, that's something else you knew about?"

"As his teacher, yes." Byleth replied. "And as his teacher…it's my fault for not being there and allowing that darkness to consume him. But I'm correcting that starting now."

Grinning, she lightly thumped his shoulder again. She was happy to finally get a laugh out of him. "There's the mopey-faced kid that I knew! Glad to see much hasn't changed these five years you were out of action! Speaking of which, if you don't mind me asking…where were you? I heard that some villager found you floating down a river and from there you made your way to the ruins with Dimitri before hooking up with everyone else."

Byleth's gaze was a different from Rhea's. Where as the archbishop's was warm and comforting, politely asking for you to listen, Byleth's was more like hypnotizing. In an odd way, Catherine likened it to the gaze of a predator, stalking through the forests only to stop as would-be prey caught its attention. The prey was paralyzed by the beast's gaze thus could not move. Catherine wasn't used to being prey; normally, such a situation should have had her rebelling to her greatest ability. Instead, she patiently waited for the hunter's response.

"I fell down a chasm." He admitted. It could have been her imagination, but Catherine could have sworn she saw the Ashen Demon shiver. "Even though I survived the blast from that sorcerer, I was helpless as it pushed me over the edge. I tried to grab onto anything I could but there was just…darkness. That's all I could see and hear…darkness…nothingness. It's like I was in an abyss, one without said, color, smell, or anything of the sort."

With every word, Catherine felt two things building within her, horror that the light green-haired professor had endured such a thing…and a near burning hatred for whoever it was that had cast him into such an abyss. It was almost like the fire that burned within her at the thought of what the Adrestian Empire might have been doing to her lady. She suddenly felt a strong desire to find a member of those dark magic-using circle and subject them to the highest levels of pain imaginable. But before that, there was one final question she needed to ask. "What woke you up?"

A full smile blossomed along his face. Cast by the light of the sunset, it made the Ashen Demon truly look the part of a divine agent. "The voice of an old friend, who ironically, was a heavy sleeper herself. I'm glad she woke me up when she did. I missed all of you."

Catherine found herself smiling from ear to ear. "That's good to hear…because we all missed you too."

"Huh-uh, do you still plan on stalking me now that I'm back?" Byleth challenged with a smirk.

"Hey now, I told you, it's observation. Besides, word's probably gotten out that you're alive so we both know the empire's going to be gunning for you." Boasted the thunderous swordswoman. "Someone's gotta watch your back to make sure you're in tip-top shape for when we rescue Lady Rhea and liberate Fódlan. You don't have a problem with that, do you?"

He rose, his face a beaming smile that again had her heart fluttering inside her chest. "Doesn't seem like I have much choice, so I'll go with it like I always do. I guess I've spent long enough cooped up in this tower. Not exactly dignified for the leader of a resistance army, is it?"

"It's not like there's a rule book or some guiding formula to all of this." Reassured the blonde rising to her feet. "You need some alone time, you got it. Even if you're carrying the goddess' divine power, you're still human just like the rest of us, so don't ever forget that. You're not fighting this war alone." It was fitting at that moment her stomach decided to speak up. Byleth looked to her with a chuckle. "L-Let's go get something to eat. The dining hall's still in shambles so most people are going to be eating outside."

"That's fine. I think I know a quick way down this tower if you're interested."

"Show me." Catherine responded in a heartbeat.

He asked her to gather her things and that's exactly what she did. Thunderbrand fastened to her hip, she stood with him on the ledge overlooking the hollowed-out innards of the tower. Rimming the sides were the remains of the stairway, now little more than dotted decoration along the walls. Still, they had made for suitable ledges and such for climbing one's way up provided they were skilled enough. Catherine glanced over the edge eyeing the far-off bottom.

"Alright, I'll bite, what's this-AAHH!"

One minute, her boot was at the edge of the ledge, and the next her whole body was over it. She was falling. Byleth was falling along side her, his right hand gripping hers. Heart-racing in her chest, she looked over. She wanted nothing more than to reach out and smack the little grin off his face.

His free left hand stretched out, a magic circle appearing in it. Immediately an explosive burst of burst from his palm, scattering dust and wood chips and stone fragments about. What had once been a high-speed drop now slowed to a gradual decent; still, Catherine's heart continued to race, pounding at her chest. Even when her feet finally touched the ground, she could still feel it beating a mile a minute.

The first thing she did was turn to face the professor. "You asshole! You realize we could have died, right?!"

His cheeky grin was like that of a fox. "You said you were going to continue following me. Follow a demon, and he may just end up leading you to hell."

She could have done the impulsive thing like whip out Thunderband and let him have it. Or simply punched him in the face, or slapped him upside the hand. Or picked up a chunk of debris and thrown it at him. Had Catherine done any of those things, odds are Byleth could have avoided them all and continued on his merry way to pick up dinner.

Her groan of annoyance and anger slowly melted into an amused chuckle. Running after him, she was somewhat delighted to see the smile still on his face. "Hey, I'm Thunder Catherine, I can say I've been through hell a few times. Anything you get yourself dragged into, I'm sure I can handle."

The saying went that war was hell. She was a knight and he was a mercenary so perhaps that saying didn't quite hold true for them. The battlefield was a place they both knew well. They'd survived their fair share of them. Both of them knew that a great many more awaited them, but they now knew one thing for certain-they'd have each other's backs when they re-entered the inferno.

* * *

**That's one chapter down. This one obviously takes place just a little after everyone's met back up and is in the process of regrouping during Chapter 14. I think it's safe to say that by the time the time skip occurs Catherine's at least come to see Byleth as a friend and someone dependable, after all, like the others she's willing to follow him whatever path he may choose, even if it means putting Rhea's rescue on hold. On that note, I went for a more commander-ish bent in writing her. Like everyone she's got some personal feelings, but she's willing to put them aside in favor of everyone around her, people she also cares about. **

**Byleth knowing the Flame Emperor's identity for a while is a bit of headcanon. I think we can all safely say it was obvious that Edelgard was the one behind the mask after a few clues, and on the Blue Lions route I like to think that Byleth knew all along but kept quiet for Dimitri's sake. Naturally, once everything goes south, he has his doubts and needs to have someone reassure him that he made the best possible decision. Rather than blame him for the shitshow that followed, I think Catherine would be more understanding since as she said, they had little hard evidence turning it into a case of their word against hers'. Then there's the fact that you're accusing someone you personally know of a very serious crime that can result in their death at worst, Catherine certainly knows how that road goes and ends. **

**I've got about two more chapters planned so be on the look out for them. The next one's going to be something of an expansion on Byleth and Catherine's A-Support along with some more full-in-the-blank headcanons and whatnot. **


	2. Chapter 2-I Can Trust You

**I'm happy to see that this little tale's gained some attention. As promised, here's the next installment and a dive into the respective minds of our favorite blank-faced mercenary and the Knights of Seiros' leading warrior woman. **

**I do not own anything.**

* * *

_**Chapter 2-I Can Trust You**_

Even though his logic was sound, at least in his mind, he couldn't help but fear the reactions he'd get from the others. Naturally, his students had given their approval, well, except for Dimitri, though he'd consented in his own way. Byleth knew that consent only came became he was still being offered the opportunity to shed blood. If the situation was as bad as he believed it to be and everyone claimed it was, then the one-eyed prince would most certainly get his fill one way or another. Not that that made Byleth any happier.

He tried to read the looks on the faces of everyone present. No one was particularly sad or angry, if anything, Byleth was a bit surprised to see looks of relief on the faces of some. First off, there was Annette, who'd been quite vocal in her backing of them freeing the kingdom's capital rather than a direct charge on the empire's capital. Ingrid and Sylvain had backed her decision as well. Admittedly, Byleth felt a swell of pride seeing the two of them, now full-fledged knights, arguing in favor of reclaiming their homeland over chasing vengeance like their childhood friend. Similarly, Felix felt the same way, even if he refused to show it. Faerghus was still his homeland, they were still his people.

The problem they faced was that the kingdom's legitimate ruler was in no condition to rule. Hell, Byleth would go as far as to say he wasn't even presentable.

_Not that he's not wearing the fur well. _Wistfully mused the swordsman looking back on the fur-lined cape. He'd expected blistering hot anger from the prince once he made it clear he wanted to regroup with their supporters and strengthen their position before making a move on Enbarr, and by extension trying to save Rhea. What he'd gotten was what amounted to a relatively subdued pout. Again, Byleth assumed Dimitri's acceptance merely boiled down to the fact ultimately…it didn't matter to the murderous blonde-haired lord. No, so long as he could spill blood then he was satisfied, but Byleth knew by the look in Dimitri's eyes that such a thing wouldn't last for long. Eventually, Dimitri's inner demons would drive him to hunt Edelgard the same way he'd hunted Kronya, his father's murderer.

Except the costs would be far, far graver, and this time, Sothis wouldn't be there give them all a second chance.

Speaking of second chances, Byleth wondered if he'd blown his with Catherine. Not that he considered himself as to having much of a chance to begin with. Not to mention he had bigger things to focus his mind on.

Quietly, everyone dispersed, their minds heavy with thoughts of how best to prepare for the battles ahead. Everyone had an opinion on his actions, rather or not he'd made the right move. Over the next day or so he'd hear them; regardless of what he'd heard, Byleth had no intention of changing his decision to regroup with friendly forces and take back the Kingdom of Faerghus.

Countless maps of said kingdom and the areas surrounding it lay before him on his desk. He now thoroughly understood how his father had felt before major battles. Albeit not even the Blade Breaker had been tasked with a task as immense as this. He'd been with his father on almost every campaign, even the grittier ones. "Right about now, I could seriously use your advice…dad. If you were still alive, maybe they would have appointed you to be the commander instead. It would have bene one hell of a pay-off. Probably the biggest job we'd ever taken." Sighed the mint-haired teacher.

"It seems like the stress has already hit you in full force." Came a familiar voice. Peering out through his eyes, he saw the blue-garbed wyvern-rider entering the office that had been allotted to him. Truthfully, he was quite happy to see Seteth, a sentiment that he apparently picked up on as he took a seat directly across from him. "To be entire frank, while I do worry for Lady Rhea, I must admit, the reasons you gave for not attempting to take Enbarr were quite sound. If we had…I believe we stood a high chance at failing and practically handing victory over to the empire. Not everyone will see that, but you can't let such things stop you from carrying out the path you have decided upon."

"Seteth," Byleth began lacing his fingers together. "To be entirely honest with you, I think we will see Enbarr, but it's a question of _how _we'll see it. Either at the head of an approaching army…"

"Or as prisoners of war to be given a public execution." Finished the older man with a dark expression. He'd made peace with such a fate meeting him, as had several of his allies. What he had not made peace with was the thought of the same fate befalling his daughter. He wouldn't allow such a thing to happen. No, he'd fight off the entire imperial army before he allowed such a thing to pass. "This is probably the first you're hearing of this, but over the past five years the Knights of Seiros made several attempts to sneak into Enbarr and locate Lady Rhea."

"Were there any survivors?" Asked the Ashen Demon point-blank.

Seteth heaved out a heavy sigh. Clearly the memories weren't the fondest. "A handful, but some of them were never able to take to the field of battle again. Some had no desire to after what was done to them. Goddess forbid, but we've found ourselves locked in an all-out-war for not just domination of Fódlan, but a struggle for survival. Edelgard is not holding back in attempting to unify the continent under one banner."

"Which is why we can't hold back in resisting her." Coolly retorted Byleth. Just s his older college was recalling old memories, so too was Byleth. "I've been in situations like this before, but those times didn't really involve an entire continent at risk along with the fate of millions upon millions of people. Some of whom I'm not even sure want us resisting the empire. Word is some have gotten quite comfortable in living beneath the empire."

"True, but just as equal a number, or perhaps even greater number resist. Thus, it falls to use to champion those who cannot speak for themselves." Replied the axe and lance-user. "Besides, whatever designs Edelgard has on a world without Crests and the church…I fear it will not leave any place for those who cling to either. Honestly, I ask myself several times how we arrived at this point. At the end…I shudder to realize it doesn't truly matter."

"War never ends quietly," Byleth said, a distant look in his eyes. "That's something I heard my father once say. Battlefield after battlefield…seeing so many conflicts…I've realized in a way he's right. I guess I'm just concerned with how loud a shout this one's going to end with." He fell back, his arms suddenly feeling heavy and his gaze directed toward the ceiling. He felt like he could see shapes dancing atop the stone surface. A series of carvings detailing how their journey will go. Perhaps one day there would be paintings and such of their war against the Adrestian Empire. Would his students be alive or dead upon the final depiction? "I don't want this to end with us marching into Enbarr and burning it to the ground, but I don't want it to end with the imperial flag continuing to fly over Fhirdiad. That leaves us only one option…going forward into the unknown."

A soft and reassuring smile formed along the older man's face. It was one that Byleth found he always seemed to take comfort in. "For those who choose to take up arms, that is all we can do. Nothing is set in stone, but pressing on ahead is what the strong do. Byleth, you yourself are a strong person, in both body and soul. While every decision you make may not be agreed upon, it will be followed through because above all us, every man and woman assembled here has faith in you. Your students, Flayn, myself, Dimitri…and Catherine." Seteth proceed to do the one thing he rarely ever did-he laughed. If not for his highly prized self-control he probably would have burst into laughter. "Come now, surely you don't think one decision will be enough to shake her confidence in you, do you?"

"Well, I have my concerns when that decision involves Rhea." Drily fired back the swordsman.

"With all due respect, I believe you're underestimating her. While there is no doubt that Catherine is one of the most devout followers of Lady Rhea…she is also one of the most level-headed and capable fighters in our ranks. Thankfully, age has blessed her with some wisdom. Not a great deal, but some."

Both men quietly listened to the quick intake of air and waited for the crash that was sure to follow. It never came. A minute passed, then two, their unseen but most certainly noticeable observer realized she'd been made and promptly did her best to hightail it out of the hallway.

Once she was out of earshot, Byleth and Seteth looked to one another and let out a joint laugh. It started out small, but quickly the two men were filling the small office with their jubilant voices. Without a doubt if the subject of their discussion could hear them, they'd likely be nursing more than a few injuries. Specifically, in Byleth's case, he'd find himself dangling over one of the monastery's many ledges, or have Thunderbrand pointed at him. Ironically, the fact that he'd escaped such a fate merely made him laugh all the harder. A part of him knew it was wrong to laugh at the knight's expanse, but he couldn't help himself.

Besides, she had gotten her fill of throwing plenty of things at him when he wasn't looking.

"Those must have been some adventures, huh?" Questioned the light-green-haired male once his laughter finally subsided.

"Yes, there were. I can say that in her youth, Catherine and Felix certainly were quite a bit alike, though as I said, Catherine eventually grew wiser as she found herself rising through the ranks. She tries hard to deny it, but her drive to protect the innocent and powerless is just as strong as her desire to protect Lady Rhea. Over these past five years, she didn't just help hold the knights together, she did her best to less the burden of the war on the common folk. While any affront to Rhea will not stand in Catherine's presence…nor will any blatant evil acts aimed at the defenseless."

"That…sounds like her, or at least the her that I've gotten to know." Smiled the black-garbed swordsman.

"You should get to know more of her. Now's the time to do so, while we're regaining our strength in preparation of the battles that lie ahead."

Byleth gave him a near apologetic stare. "Battles that I'm going to have to be a part of. Battles that I'll likely be leading. I have bigger things to focus on."

"Ah, true," Conceded the wyvern-rider. "But if you ignore the little things, they shall slip from your grasp, and the hole they leave in your heart will be immense. Matters of the heart are often such things so you'd best tend to them when and where you can."

For good reason, this conversation was private. While Seteth had quite an admirable reputation as a leader, scholar, and a warrior, there were two others that only a select number of people knew. Those two labels were husband and father. In that regard, one could say he would have been better at consoling than Alois; at least Seteth was able to keep a straight face and a focused mind when discussing matters of family and romance. Family and romance, two subjects that Byleth had a…very loose grasp of, the former much to his immense shame. The latter, well, romance had never really been his forte; he was a warrior through and through so issues of courtship never really crossed his mind. He'd seen others handle the topic but never once in his life thought that he'd have to undergo similar struggles.

Then he'd met Thunder Catherine, arguably the strongest of the Knights of Seiros and a rather amicable person to boot.

He felt like he was the butt of some sort of cosmic joke. He didn't really appreciate it.

"You're suggesting I take the time out of my day to go talk to her." Byleth finally concluded, his face a mixture of resignation and annoyance.

Seteth seemed to take amusement in his near pouting. "You make it sound like you'll be a bumbling school boy when we both know you're so much more. You've spoken to her countless times about a wide range of topics and I've yet to see you walk away with anything that can't be healed with a simple spell."

Byleth's frown deepened, "You know, sometimes I think I was better off not knowing that Flayn was you daughter instead of your little sister."

"If that you were the case," Began the green-haired man. "You would have gone to Alois."

The Ashen Demon took a second to stop and picture how that talk would have played out. In a heartbeat, his secret feelings would have been outed and whatever relationship he'd have with the blonde-haired swordsman would have been burnt to ash, as if struck by lightning almost. Byleth shuddered at the possibility, especially in regards to his students finding out. Of note, Annette and Sylvain would never let him hear the end of it and attempt to help him.

A second later and the swordsman hung his head in defeat, an act that his green-haired comrade remained thoughtfully silent on. Perhaps it was experience that stayed his tongue. He too was a warrior that had been forced to step onto the strange and ever-changing battlefield that was love. And he'd somehow made it out victorious, in spite of his wife no longer being with them. Now he was attempting to help Byleth do the same.

The prospect of war didn't seem so daunting and monstrous as it had nearly a day ago.

* * *

"Seems like I've commandeered your favorite spot," laughed the blonde with a nervous scratch of the head. "Sorry, I'll get going so you can have some peace and quiet."

"No, no, it's…it's alright. Maybe some company would do me some good." Without another moment's pause, he turned and procured two fishing rods. His boots and coat were placed beside her own along with her armor. Taking a seat beside her, he let out a relieved sight as he dipped his legs into the water. At the very least they'd made sure that the pipe system and water sources had been cleaned and secured. Such a task had practically been first on their list once the resistance had began to settle back into Garreg Mach. "Do you think I made the right choice?" He came out and asked right out of the gate.

Visibly, the blonde swordswoman was caught off guard. While she'd been expecting the question, there was something about the way Byleth's body tensed up that off-set her. It was like he was bracing for a verbal tongue-lashing.

Catherine cleared her throat. "You know I'd like nothing more than to march into Enbarr and find Lady Rhea, cutting down anyone and anything who gets in my way…but that's me speaking as her protector and follower. I can't just be that, I have to be something else-a leader and a warrior. Besides I…the more I think about what you said…the more I realize you're right." Holding fast to her fishing rod, she turned and looked back behind her. The dining hall had been rebuilt and was not back to bustling with life as it was before. A smile came to her face watching a male knight and female scholar make their way inside, laughing and smiling at one another. "I've been to Adrestia a few times, and I can tell you that if given the chance, they would wipe the entire monastery off the face of the earth. And everyone in it."

"Which is why I'm worried they haven't." Byleth offered, his eyes focused on the water as if he could see the future playing out in front of him. "To be entire honest…I was surprised to find the monastery still standing. With the fighting strength the empire threw at us five years ago, I honestly expected it to be nothing but a smoking pile of rubble." It was a bit frightening, even for him, how easily he could recall all the details from the invasion of Garreg Mach five years ago. Maybe because it had been such a pivotal moment in his life, as well as one of the biggest failures he'd ever suffered. A mixture of relief and shame swelled up in him when he made his way to the abandoned monastery, meeting Dimitri shortly after and finding how greatly things had changed.

"It wasn't easy, let me tell you that." She too remembered the battle, and she too considered it an immense failure on her part. Sorrow laced her eyes as she threw the lure far out, hoping she'd be able to catch at least a decent-sized fish. "We lost more than seventy-percent of our original forces in that battle and were forced to flee from the monastery like a bunch of damn rats from a sinking ship. Just thinking about it is enough to make my blood boil." As the man beside her looked into the water and attempted to see the future, Catherine saw the past. She saw herself running away from those she once trusted and eventually from everyone. Then came her ray of light that guided her to a place she could call home. Then that home was near razed to the ground. In an effort to stave off the building anger she looked to the person beside her. For the life of her, she couldn't figure out what went on in Byleth's head, but she knew what lay within his chest-a heart full of compassion and care. "If it weren't for you, I…well, let's just say this place wouldn't have been the same."

His shoulders hunched; a trait she'd come to realize marked him attempting to retreat into his shell of shyness. Catherine found it cute and derived pleasure from dragging him out of it.

Smiling, she reached out and placed her hand against his wrist, not in a vice grip but in a reassuring way.

"I never really got used to it, having everyone looking at me like I was some sort of walking gold statue." Admitted the green-eyed instructor.

"I'd say you were more like an onyx statue; you sure did and still do know how to rock the color black." Offered the blue-eyed woman. Byleth smiled at her causing her to grin. "You were an odd guy who seemingly came out of nowhere and the next thing everyone knew, the Blue Lions were blazing a trail of success and making their predecessors proud! Then you ended up holding the Sword of the Creator, receiving a divine revelation from the goddess herself, and then…you were out there leading the charge against the empire. Byleth, I'd say next to Lady Rhea, you're practically the most important person in the monastery's history. It's why I…it's why we can't afford to lose you."

"Think if the empire captures me, I'll be given a public execution? You know to show that the power of the goddess isn't something to be feared?"

"Don't talk like that." She got more riled up than she thought she would at his point-blank question. The water rippled, then cam a sudden pull on her line. Instinctively, she jerked her hands back, her lure coming in with a small-sized fish on the other end. Catherine reached out and caught it squirming in her hand. "Don't…urgh, if something like that were to happen, we'd bust you out. No questions asked! We'd crash through the capital and drag your ass back here and go from there!"

Byleth could have asked about Lady Rhea as his capture likely meant he'd be placed in close proximity to the missing archbishop. Perhaps. Nothing could be known for certain as they were doing nothing but discussing hypothetical scenarios. Naturally, they weren't exactly ideal and many of them didn't end well for him. No doubt the fate that would befall him would leave him wishing for death, which Edelgard himself would likely have to answer out of some lingering compassion for him.

Said compassion would manifest in the form of swift and brutal axe swing aimed at his neck. His head would roll off to the side and hopefully receive a decent burial along with his body.

"You're not going to get captured," Came the whisper of the female knight. Byleth did a double-take as he realized Catherine's words were ringed with of all things, fear. "There's no way any of those dastards would ever be able to capture you, and besides, if they did I'd…I'd…look, you shouldn't talk about such gloomy things like that! It'll bring down moral, which is the last thing we need!" She was trying to look angry at him, and indeed, she was angry, but Byleth suspected the reasons behind such were more personal than anything. Her attention was directed back to the water as she reared her fishing rod back, at the end of her lure lay yet another palm-sized fish. "Argh! Dammit, how the hell do you keep landing the big ones? You make it look so easy!"

"I don't know." Byleth stated in a whimsical voice. "Perhaps the fish just like me more. I mean, you are the one who goes around wielding a sword with the power of thunder and lightning so maybe the fish know to stay away from you."

Catherine gave him a dry stare. "…Why is it I hear you say that and I can _almost _believe it?"

Byleth gave her a sideways stare, even as he felt a tug on his own line. Keeping his attention on her, he began to reel his latest catch in. "I don't know, maybe because I'm an impossibly good sweet-talker who'd probably be able to swindle an entire kingdom out of their fortunes if I wanted?"

This was normally the part where Catherine punched one of his teeth out. Instead, all she did was laugh. Her laughter grew even harder as she watched the professor reel in a glittering silver-scaled fish that flailed about in his hands. "Maybe, I'll admit you've got the looks to go along with the silver tongue."

"Why thank you, I try my best to wipe away the blood from every battle." Chuckled the younger male.

Another catch was made on Catherine's end. This time it was an Airmid Pike, common, nothing to be ashamed of, but in the face of the Ashen Demon's catches, it was…disheartening to the swordswoman. Still, she wasn't going to give up. They still had quite a bit of daylight and the kitchen could always use more cooking material.

"What you said when you defended your reasons for choosing to retake the kingdom capital. You…" The wind pushed the water in their direction, their toes twinkling as a rush of water moved across their ankles and legs. "A part of your decision was influenced by Dimitri." He looked to her with open surprise on his face. Byleth's mouth opened to speak, but Catherine cut him off by silently placing a hand on his shoulder. "There's a chance that defeating Edelgard would put his inner demons to rest…or make them worse, and like you said, there's no guarantee that we'd be able to free Lady Rhea…or escape with our lives. Say we did but we come back to find the monastery either destroyed or fallen to enemy hands and that forces us to go on the run with no visible safe haven. Talk about out of the frying pan and into the fire." Sighed the blonde placing her fishing rod down and leaning back on her hands. "It's reasoning and logic like that which is why you're this army's commander, our ace strategist."

Byleth felt warmth spreading through his cheeks, though he for the life of him had no idea why. Instinctively, he looked away, wondering if he'd been placed under some sort of spell. "W-Well, when you say stuff like that it makes me think about how things could have gone if I'd sided with Edelgard."

"Oh, simple, I would have cut you down." Answered Catherine.

"With relish?" Jokingly added the younger swordsman.

"Definitely!" She laughed. "I would have hunted you down, likely clashing with you again and again with our battles becoming the stuff of legends, but ending with me-" Quickly, she grabbed one of the fish from her pile, its soul having long since left its body, and swing it directly at Byleth. Nonchalantly, he raised his hand flat catching the dried up animal. "Removing your head from your shoulders thus depriving the empire of its greatest weapon."

"…I don't think it'd end that way." Noted the mint-haired teacher, a smile tugging at his lips. "After all, if you can't even catch me using a fish, how would you expect to sever my head using Thunderbrand."

"Sounds like someone's underestimating me." Her grin was one that he always found himself caught up in. Not murderous or insidious like a few warriors he'd met, it was simply happy, excited. "This is me going easy on you. If you want, we could move this to the training yard and I'd show you how I'd deal with you if you were an enemy of mine."

Byleth raised his eyes to the sky as if in contemplation on rather or not he should take up her offer. "Nope, I'd stay here and keeping fishing here as comrades. Seems better."

Now, it was Catherine's turn to blush; like Byleth, she tried to hide it. "I…I-what the hell!?" In a strange way, she had the fish to think for saving her from saying something she was likely going to regret. That wasn't going to stop her from catching whatever fish had caught her lure and was now struggling against her. No, she would sure her gratitude by ensuring that it was made into a first-class meal to be consumed.

Practically every nerve in Catherine's body fired up as she felt Byleth's hands fall upon hers. This was different from when they were sparring with one another. This time was infinitely different. His hold on her hand was gentle, guiding as he stated what she had to do to catch this unseen fish. More than the splashes of water, she could hear her own heart thundering in her chest, its beat echoing in her ear like claps of thunder. It was surreal, yet it was not unwanted. Briefly, she looked up from the flailing fish to the boy beside her.

_Goddess, he seriously hasn't aged a day in these past fives. Yet, he's still so…so…_ It wasn't like that she just saw Byleth for his combat-related abilities, no, Rhea never would have hired him if it were just for those alone. She's suspected there was his heart…and then there were his looks. His admittedly good looks. Good looks that had not dimmed during his five-year coma. He stilled looked just as handsome and enticing as those peaceful days half a decade ago. Then there was his hair, which she realized still somehow smelled so scented. _Catherine, get a grip! You're sniffing his damn hair! This has to-_

"Now, pull!" Came his sudden shout.

Without wasting a moment's time, Catherine did just that, her arms moving backwards bringing the lure above water. As with Byleth, her catch shimmered in the mid-day sunlight. Fingers pointed and mouths dropped as the flailing fish slowly but surely breathed its last in the arms of the excited knight, who quickly noticed the brightly colored scales on the fish, scales the glistened like gold coins. Like the spectators, Catherine's mouth dropped in awe at her catch.

Byleth merely looked at the still-moving gold fish with an amused smile. "Well, looks like there's a fisherman in you waiting to be opened up. Nice work."

The expected thing for her to do would have been to laugh it off or perhaps half-heartedly back his words. What Catherine did do was blush even redder and turn her attention to the water. "B-Beginner's luck." It'd been _years_ since she'd felt this way-shy and blushing like some flustered schoolgirl. A part of her toyed with throwing the fish back into the water just to change things up, but she felt like that would be a slap in the face to the man beside her. Besides, what else would they eat for dinner tonight. "B-B-Byleth, I-I, whatever choice you make, I'll follow you!" Of all the things for her to say, she had to choose that, and in such an oddball, loose-lipped way for her to go about it. Catherine wished she could turn back time and get a do-over.

Byleth was wishing he could freeze time so this moment could last forever. "Seems like we've got dinner for the night, provided you just want it to be the two of us, again."

"J-J-Just keep them ready for tonight." She stammered jumping to her feet and reaching for her boots and equipment. "You know what, maybe I'll just go into town tonight for a drink or two. You'll be coming with me."

"I will?" Byleth blinked causing Catherine to stare at him with what amounted to a pout.

"Damn right you're coming with me! It's been little over a month and I just realized you haven't been to any of the bars that have opened back up in town! Some of them because of you! You're coming with me, no ifs or buts about it!" Declared the blonde swordswoman.

The Ashen Demon's face remained flat for a second, but eventually emotion found its way to his face. His lips ticked upward into a smile. "Right…so I'll be carrying you back once you get drunk off your ass. Great way to spend the night."

And that was how the pair left the fishing pond, their arms filled their catches. Comforted smiles on their faces. Needless to say, they attracted more than few wondering eyes, whispers quickly spreading amongst onlookers.

"So, um, did that…look like what I think it did?" Began the orange-haired knight, his voice visibly quivering in awe.

"It was just two friends enjoying some time together! Nothing more!" Eagerly defended the blonde-haired knight.

Sylvain looked to his pegasus-riding partner with amused eyes. "Two friends, yeah, riiight. Ya' know, they kind of remind me of Annette and Dimitri…and Mercedes and Ferdinand…and-"

Red-faced, Ingrid slapped a hand over her friend's mouth, her own heart hammering in her chest. It didn't take much for her to put together who his last comparison was going to be.

* * *

It struck like lightning, fittingly enough.

He was in the middle of looking over their supply stocks when the unearthly chill raced down his spine as if it'd been struck by a bolt from the sky. Of course, it lit up his whole body. It felt like he was seeing the world around him for the first time, smelling the air and feeling the dusty air kissing his skin.

"Byleth? Hey, are you okay? You look like you just saw a ghost." Came Alois' concerned voice. Byleth blinked before looking at his honorary uncle. The moment their eyes met the knight's face grew serious. "Something's happened. Don't bother denying it, I know that look on your face. Jeralt got the same one whenever he felt something off, felt it in his bones. Seems the animal didn't fall far from the tree."

"Yeah, you could say that. Just wish I knew what it…" The words died in his mouth as he searched inward for the answer to his forming question. This chill, this sense of dread that made him feel like he was seconds away from receiving a mortal blow. Byleth could somehow dissect it, were it aimed physically at him, then he was sure the feeling would be more intense, more familiar. Instead, what he was feeling was something more akin to worry; it resembled the chill that raced down his spine whenever his students were in danger. Except it was more…colder. The green-haired professor looked to Alois. "Where's Catherine?"

"Catherine? Um, let's see." He began placing his hand on his chin. "Er, I believe she went on a scouting mission to the south-east, close to the McKrae River which runs into Alliance territory."

The Ashen Demon's eyes widened. "I'm heading out!"

Bursting out of the armory, he ran past a pair of knights carrying a crate full of what looked to be iron and rusted weapons. Since regrouping everyone had taken stock of the equipment they had on hand. Of course, what they had was a far cry from the well-stocked and up-kept weapons they had five years ago. Still, it wasn't the quality of the weapon but the one who wielded it that made all the difference. Speaking of weapons, he needed his. Byleth held out his hand as he bolted from the armory and raced across the monastery towards the stables. The Crest of Flames glowed in front of his palm; a second later and the Sword of the Sublime Creator appeared in a shower of orange and black-colored sparkles.

He was causing a scene, but he didn't care. When he made it to the stables, he found Marianne and Ingrid tending to the horses. They looked to him and saw the state he was in.

"Professor, are we under attack?" Ingrid immediately questioned looking ready for battle.

"Not quite, just…well, just call it a hunch." He answered not wanting to cause a panic. "Look, I'm heading out and I could use a horse, a fast one."

"T-Then please, take this one." Responded the blue-haired Holy Knight stepping over and taking the reins of a jet-black horse with a few faded scars on its side. Instantly, the beast gave an assertive huff as its eyes found Byleth. Somehow, he could see the built-up tension ease out of the stallion. "His name is Gera, he's strong and fast and will get you where you need to do."

He muttered a thank-you as he mounted up and readied himself. "Hopefully, I'll be back within the hour and it'll turn out to be nothing."

Naturally, Ingrid pressed further. "And if not?"

Byleth took a moment to pause as he considered another potential future. "Then prepare to defend the monastery, again."

"That'll make three times in a row." Marianne muttered tightening her fists. "Hopefully it doesn't come to that."

"Don't we all. Either way, carry on same as usual, but be ready to move at a moment's notice!" He kicked at the horse's side, and surprisingly, Gera took off like an arrow from bow. While he'd rode horses before, this Gera perhaps took the cake for the fastest one he'd ever rode. That fact alone earned the animal Byleth's respect.

"Professor!" Cried the gatekeeper as he sped past him.

"Be back in a little bit! Hold down the fort while I'm gone!" Shouted back the Enlightened One.

"Yes sir!"

He sped through the village at the speed of the wind. Indeed, Marianne hadn't been lying when she said that Gera was a sturdy and fast mount. It seemed almost as if he could sense the distress within the still-hearted warrior and answered it by giving it his all. With all these factors at play Byleth prayed that he made it to Catherine in time.

Praying. Exactly who was he praying to? Whatever remnant of Sothis that still existed out there? Above the clouds in the heavens far out of the reach of mortals. Or most mortals some would say. Byleth had received the Divine Revelation and been gifted with the powers of the divine. Not that it'd done him much good, but still. He was now hellbent on using all of that supposed divine power to reaching his blonde-haired ally before misfortune befell her. He'd already lost enough people in his life, and he sure as hell wasn't going to lose her.

The further they rode the more the scenery began to change, the trees becoming thinner and seemingly more dead. Byleth thought the forests to the south hadn't always been like this, at least not before the war. He and his students had taken only one or two missions to the area surrounding the McKrae river. One thing he thoroughly remembered was the greenery of the trees that they formally rode past. Now, most of that greenery was gone. As he rode, he spotted black patches along the ground. That explained the change, fire had formerly rampaged through the area. His suspicions were furthered as he noticed the remains of what might have been buildings. Byleth suddenly remembered, there used to be a village near the river.

Like many things, that village was no longer there.

But just because it was gone didn't mean that the ruins couldn't be used for something. A lookout point. Or a secret hideout for spying.

He felt his silent heart beat once as his trained ears registered the sound of weapons clashing. Byleth sucked in a breath as he heard a familiar feminine voice boldly challenge the unseen attackers. The closer they rode the clearer the sounds of battle could be made out.

Catherine was outnumbered and on the defensive.

Byleth's hand reached for his sword, the weapon humming with red-orange energy as his body tensed up. Once he was within range he jumped from Gera's backside, the horse letting out a near encouraging yarn as he did so.

His hand was reared back then launched forward, the empowered sword stretching out like an angry serpent. Through the handle, Byleth somehow felt the bodies pierced by his whip-sword. He mentally directed the blade to continue stretching and that it did, burrowing beneath the ground. Tightly gripping the handle, Byleth pulled upward. Down below, the ground exploded as the divine sword tore its way back to the surface, disorienting the imperial scouts that had been engaged in battle with the Knight of Seiros.

She made it known that looking away from her was a costly mistake. She surged forward, Thunderbrand cackling with electricity as she slashed and hacked at the Adrestian soldiers. Those that recovered their wits managed to put up at least a shred of defense to avoid her first blow. Her second and third attacks, not so much.

Sensing a build up of magical energy behind her, she funneled more strength into her prized weapon and swing it in a vertical arc as she spun her body around. Perfectly timed with her assault, Byleth came down as well, both hands on his own signature weapon. A blazing crescent of orange and blade exploded from his sword as his feet finally hit the ground. It left a burning hot skid mark across the grass.

Blood and armor fragments exploded from the heavily armored knight who'd attempted to tank the attack. A venture that had cost the man his life. While the others were off-balanced and frightened, Byleth sped forth, his bone-like sword rising and falling and stabbing away painting the grass crimson with the blood of his enemies. Behind him, Catherine was doing very much the same.

Eventually, their movements came to a stop. Around them lay a collection of bodies, all of whom bore the Adrestian Empire's crest somewhere on their clothing.

"Think we made sure none of these people will be reporting back. Don't know if that's a good or a bad thing." Offered the divine warrior flicking his sword to the side to wipe away the blood before sheathing it. "Catherine, are you alright?"

"Y-Yeah, though I'll tell you, my nerves are pretty jittery." She wasn't kidding. Based on the way she held onto Thunderbrand, she was expecting either another enemy attack or for the slain soldiers around them to suddenly rise up and start attacking them again. Given all the mystical powers that the empire had at its backing, Byleth couldn't quite blame her. "It's been a while since I've had such a close call like that. If not for you, Byleth, I probably wouldn't have made it." The truth in her words could be gleaned from her appearance. For starters, there was her breathing, it was labored, almost like she was out of breath. Second, there were the cuts and dents in her armor, as well as the more blatant injuries on her person, such as a burn wound on her left leg. It didn't look serious, but from it Byleth could deduce that the fight hadn't been an easy one. "I didn't expect to be ambushed on a simple scouting mission. It was almost like they knew where I was going to be."

_Perhaps that means there's a traitor in our ranks. _Thought the younger swordsman with a dark expression. It seemed his long list of troubles just got longer. "What about you? Are you hurt?"

She laughed in spite of the visible pain her injuries seemed to be causing her. "You should be asking about the mission, not about me. You know better than most I can be pretty tough to crack. Still, I have to ask you though, what brought you here?"

"I was worried about you." He blurted out without hesitation, only to immediately regret his choice.

His words seemingly caught her off-guard as her face became one of shock. For a hot second, he could see her cheeks redden. It only lasted for a second as her body lost its balance and became limp. In a heartbeat, the knight found herself in the arms of the former mercenary, his expression grave.

Byleth's nose wrinkled. "You took a hit from a poisoned blade, I can smell it."

She supposed she had. As the battle grew more intense, she lost track of what had happened. Catherine faintly remembered one of her attackers, an Assassin, coming at her with a vein edge sword. She'd thought she'd avoided all of his attacks; apparently, she'd been wrong.

Gera was tied to a nearby tree and acted as the unlikely lookout while Byleth sat her down and performed what amounted to on-the-spot treatment of her.

Catherine gave her consent almost immediately. She didn't even realize she'd spoken the words until she spotted her armor lying on the side and felt her pants leg being pulled up. Normally, this was the part where she punched some teeth in. But the one doing it was Byleth Eisner. A professor of the Officers Academy. The one trusted by her lady. The one leading their resistance movement.

Her friend and battle-partner. She had absolute trust in him.

The realization hit her hard, like a blow from a pair of gauntlets if she were being honest with herself. Such unconditional faith, the only person she ever gave such a thing to was Rhea.

Now, she was being tended to by someone who might as well have been her chosen successor. From the hair right down to the healing ability.

For someone famed for being a near unstoppable killing machine, Byleth could be astonishingly gentle when he chose to be. When he first came to Garreg Mach, he was admittedly the last anyone would ever expect to start learning healing magic. Looking back, Catherine pinpointed his sudden expertise after he received his Divine Revelation. Personally, she believed that the goddess had blessed Byleth with substantial skills in healing so he could look after his students.

"You asked me why I came here," Came his soft, near feathery voice. It was near maddening how someone with such fighting ability could have such a gentle voice. And a good-looking face. "I came because I was worried about you."

There were a few other things she could have focused on, like the distant babbling of the river, the rustling of the tree branches, the gnawing of grass by the horse, and lastly the dulling pain in her leg. What she focused on were Byleth's words. "Hm, I see." Catherine confirmed with an easy-going smile. "So, you came to protect me. It's not often I end up in a situation like this. But…by ending up in it, I can see why everyone's so enamored with you. These are selfish times so one doesn't expect to encounter selflessness. You're kind, truly kind. In that aspect…I'd say you're like Lady Rhea."

Byleth's eyebrows rose. It wasn't eh first comparison to the archbishop that he had received, but something about this one just caught his attention. "You think Lady Rhea is kind?"

With the injury to her leg healed up, Catherine rose. She slid her pant leg back down, the burn wound completely erased thanks to the effort of the mint-green-haired swordsman. Her blue eyes were aimed forward at the silent forest. The sound of the nearby river lightly tapped against her ears. "It's thanks to her kindness that I'm here today. I was an outlaw in Faerghus. She took me in and let me live here."

Shock bloomed across Byleth's face as he looked to the blonde knight. "An outlaw? As in a criminal? You?"

Normally, this was the part where she tried to shy away from the conversation. This time, that couldn't be the case. Besides, Byleth was owed that much. Perhaps that and more. "You might have heard whispers about it. I was born into House Charon in Faerghus, one of the oldest families in the kingdom with a long line of military service."

"That part doesn't surprise me, what does surprise is that you…" Byleth's nose wrinkled, a trait that she'd come to realized indicated his nervousness. "So you're…you're a noble too."

Catherine laughed. "Ex-noble to be precise. They used to call be Thunderstrike Cassandra."

Byleth laughed too. "That also doesn't surprise me. No wonder Ingrid idolizes you so much." His words got a sizable blush out of the blue-eyed blonde. "Um, if you don't mind me asking…how'd you go from Faerghus to…"

"I was implicated in a plot to kill the king." She answered with a downtrodden look. Even if she'd closed the door on her past, looking back at it still caused her pain and anxiety, just as it would for anyone with a painful past. "It was a totally false accusation, of course, but I…no one un my family could really fight it and there were some who were pretty eager to see me, the eldest daughter of the family fall so I…I took Thunderbrand with me and ran."

The knight wasn't expecting to hear a sigh escape from the lips of the Ashen Demon. Her face fell apart into confusion as she watched him press the bridge of his nose as if he'd learned he was going to be spending his free time doing paperwork instead of something more enjoyable.

"Now, it could just be me, but it _really _feels like the Kingdom of Faerghus is prone to assassination plots, said plots being pinned on the innocent, and feuding nobles who're willing to rescue national security and life to settle personal vendettas." Explained the green-eyed young adult. He'd heard enough horror stories from his students, some of whom had their lives so negatively affected by the deeds of others. Dedue in particular came to mind.

"Well, that's how countries nowadays are. That said, Faerghus still has nothing on the Alliance." Quietly defended the former noblewoman. _Or at least…I hope. _If there was one thing Catherine remembered about the life of the royal court, it was how frighteningly common backstabbing was and how alliances could shift. It burned her blood that almost half of the royal houses in the kingdom had turned traitor and sided with the empire. Some could be forgiven as she knew they did so for survival, others…not so much. "Once I fled from Faerghus, well…needless to say, some didn't take my defection well. Especially since I took a Hero Relic with me. Heh, you could argue that I'm no different from Sylvain's brother."

"There's nothing linking the two of you together." Automatically fired off the black-clothed twenty-one-year-old. "You were forced to go on the round, you had no choice. It was either that or face life imprisonment or even execution. You did what you had to do in order to survive."

A stiff and emotionless laugh left the older woman's lips. "Byleth…do you have any idea how many times I used those words to justify my actions?" Thunder Catherine was strong woman, that was a well-known fact. But she was also a human being, and like every human being she could show weakness. That's what she decided to do before the minty green-haired young man. "I killed people, robbed them of everything of value they had."

"But you never enjoyed it, in fact, you hated yourself for it." Byleth stated point-blank.

"You don't know that." Catherine hotly replied.

"I know you, and I know you'd never take pleasure in stealing everything innocent people have. You'd only do it if you had no choice, and you believed that you could find some way to make up for it." He pressed.

She could feel her chest beginning to tighten. Catherine knew the wise thing would have been to change the subject, but she couldn't. Looking Byleth in the eye, she suddenly found herself throwing up the door to her past and allowing the suppressed self-loathing and fears to resurge. "How can you know that?! How can you?!" Shouted the female knight.

She both hated and was awed by how the Ashen Demon's face managed to remain so focused and clear. His eyes were like a pair of emerald lights, torches. Catherine had heard tail of some species of fish that lured in their prey using dazzling lights that captivated the target's attention. She felt much like that now.

"I know…because I know you're a decent person. You told me I'm a kind person…well, so are you, even if you don't believe it. Rhea probably saw that too; she saw that kindness that you were suppressing but couldn't bring yourself to throw away because it was who you were. It's who you still are. Even if you fell from grace…you're still the same bold and righteous warrior that you were when you were known as Thunderstrike Cassandra."

They sat there on the wet grass, one staring at the other with her mouth agape. The other stared back at her, their eyes set in firm resolution of the words he'd just spoken. To the side, Gera gave his input on the conversation, an untranslatable grunt. Based on his time hanging around Marianne, Byleth was willing to venture a guess that it was a laugh.

_He…he really…he's…he's accepted me. Even after learning of my past he…_Stammered the blonde. It felt like she was on the verge of tears, something that hadn't happened to her in years.

"Based on what details you've revealed to me as well as the badge that I returned to you five years ago, I'm willing to theorized after you met Rhea, you began living at the monastery and by extension you attended the Officer's Academy." Spoke up the male swordsman. "What kind of student were you?"

His words were an unexpected goddess send. That said, it did stir up more pleasant memories she was willing to draw on. "What kind of student was I? The adventurous kind!"

"Which means you likely got yourself into trouble more often than not." Byleth summarized.

"Hey! Now you're just making groundless accusations!"

"Actually, I don't think they're groundless. I look at your behavior now and how you might have acted in your youth and I think I can get a clear picture of what kind of student you were. You were in the Blue Lions house, weren't you?"

In spite of the embarrassment, Catherine found herself smiling. "Alright, alright fine! Admittedly, I was something of an outlier, even with my name change. On the other hand, I was without a doubt, the best fighter in the entire class! Hell, I was even better than the house leader!"

"So, you got to see what graduation was like." Byleth stated with a longing smile.

Catherine stopped and looked to him with pity. _He was really looking forward to graduation, not that I can blame him. He loved, no, he still loves all of them like they're his own children. _"Only because of Lady Rhea. Once, while out on a mission I ended up in a situation that nearly cost me my life. I don't remember it too well, but I fought and fought until I collapsed. I seriously would have died there if not for Lady Rhea, who came to my rescue. She took my bloodied, muddied body into her arms and helped nurse me back to health." Her hand slid to her chest, as if she were recalling the warmth that once lay there. "Since then she's been my inspiration. That's why I will always respect her, protect her, and love her. For some reason, whenever I think about Lady Rhea, your face comes to mind."

The unknown heat swelled up inside of him and spread to his cheeks. Nervously, he reached for his minty green strands. "Is it…because of the hair?"

Giggling, she reached out and ran her hands through his light-colored strands. "Maybe, either way, when I think of her, I think you too. Like her…you've become an important presence in my life."

Near instantly, the former mercenary's face morphed into a pleasant smile. "I'm honored to hear that."

Briefly, the blonde's face showed shock before melting away into a somewhat shy smile as she reached back and scratched her head. "I…um, I kind of wasn't expecting you to have such a positive response. I'm not thrilled about it, personally…but then again, I'm…you're someone I feel I can trust so maybe that's why. For the record, I am still going to be keeping an eye on you, but not so I can report to Lady Rhea."

Byleth's grin made her heart flutter, dammit all. "Then why?"

"Because…I…because I want." She admitted. Amazingly, she was able to look him in the eye, though she imagined her face was redder than a tomato.

The former mercenary's smile seemed to grow, becoming near as bright as the sun. "I see, well, I'm happy that I got here in time. We should probably get going back to the monastery before people start worrying. But first,"

Catherine blinked as she watched the Ashen Demon head back onto the battlefield and begin collecting weapons as if he were plucking flowers out of a garden for some bouquet. "Um, Byleth, what are you doing?"

He looked at her with his trademark stare. "Gathering supplies." His tone made it sound as if he were answering a basic question like what color was the sky.

The thunderous warrior woman blinked again.

Finally, he looked down at the slain soldiers, a candle light seemingly blazing in his head. "It's not like they're going to be needing them anymore." Spoke the green-eyed man motioning to the corpses. "And it's not like I'm taking their personal belongings off of them. I'm a demon, not a grave robber."

Catherine felt a laugh being up inside of her. "Um, you do know that's supposed to be the other way around, right?" When all he did was continue to stare at her, she finally lost control and burst into amused chuckling. "Hold up, I'll help you out. There's no reason to leave a bunch of nice weapons lying around here where we could make some good use of them. Just hope that stallion of yours can carry the extra weight."

As if to answer, the black-furred horse gave an affirmative snort. Catherine smiled as did Byleth.

She sat behind him, arms laced around his waist while he guided them back to the monastery, back to their home. Catherine had to admit, it felt…nice not just being the one to play passenger, but to be so close to Byleth. Usually, she had to find some sort of excuse to find some way to get so close to him. She felt like letting her walls down; no, she'd already done that. Byleth was a person whom she felt like she could let her softer side show and not have anything to fear.

"You know, maybe all this time I've just been running away from my past. From Faerghus. It's not like I'm expecting to have my name cleared and my royal title restored. My father was able to maintain the Charon name well enough after I fled." Spoke the blonde in a quiet, unusually subdued voice. "Still, I…I feel like I have a responsible to go back. Even if I'm no longer Cassandra, Faerghus is still my birthplace so I…"

"Go tell him how you're doing." Came the younger male's soothing voice. "A lot may have changed, but he's still your father and I'm sure he still loves you, so don't spurn that just because one loved one may be out of reach. If you want…I'll be there to help you."

"That sounds an awful lot like a promise I'll hold you to." Catherine giggled.

"It's one that I'll keep, you have my word."

She didn't doubt him. Not even one little bit.

* * *

"So, they had a date."

"It wasn't a date, Sylvain."

"Ingrid, they leave, then come back with a huge roll of weapons and equipment and they're smiling like they just-"

"That's not a date!" Cried the blonde pegasus rider, her face gaining a pink hue. "It's…it's a…"

Her companion grinned at her. "We do it all the time, and we both know what _those _times count as."

She tried to come up with a strong defense, but there was none, particularly in the face of Sylvain's cheeky grin. A defeated sigh left Ingrid as she waved the white flag of surrender. Fluffing up her pillow, she laid down on her side, her cheeks ablaze. This discussion could be continued tomorrow.

Seeing his girlfriend's response, the heir to House Gautier chuckled in amusement then blew out the final candle. Continuing his snickering, he laid down as well, his arm wrapping around the green-eyed woman's waist. _Goodluck, Professor._

* * *

**I tried to deviate from Byleth and Catherine's normal A-rank conversation and have it be a bit more expressive and revealing. Mostly on account of the fact that Byleth's learned to emote more and I always seem him as getting more emotional when it comes to his loved ones. I also tried to work in Seteth still playing the wise and understanding father-figure to everyone, including Byleth himself who's still dealing with the pressure of leading. It's a big leap to go from leading a group of students to what amounts to an entire resistance movement attempting to repeal an imperial war machine. As many have joked, the game essentially goes from Harry Pointer to Game of Thrones. Especially once you start getting into the backstories of certain characters and find almost noble/lord has some sort of dark and troubled past. **

**The idea of Byleth looting weapons off of dead enemies is something I find darkly comical. I mean everyone writes him as having little to no social skills, and if you've read stories like **_**Byleth: Intimidating Professor **_**and **_**Byleth: Peculiar Professor**_**, you'll see how I made the jump. Plus, on my Blue Lions playthrough during Chapter 12, I had Sylvain and Byleth double-team the Death Knight and ended up with a Scythe of Sariel that I gave to the former. Not to mention when you're the underdog in a fight, you take what you can get. **

**Next chapter won't be Byleth and Catherine's S-Support, more like another little look at how their relationship's progressed and they've come to certain realizations about their feelings. The S-Support chapter's right after that. **


	3. Chapter 3-You are Special

**Got a tad bit sidetracked, but I'm happy to be returning to this story and delving a tad deeper into the forming relationship between our favorite stoic mercenary and lightning-throwing Swordmaster. As I said last chapter, this one isn't particular going to feature the S-Support, but it'll have some more lead up to it and some more headcanon. **

**I do not own anything.**

* * *

_**Chapter 3-You are Special**_

It went without saying that this was not how Catherine expected to return to the capital city of her homeland. At best, she always believed she'd return to Fhirdiad on a simple mission, Church business and nothing more. She come, perhaps spend a moment or two to bask in old memories then be on her way back to the monastery. But as she'd discovered, life had a way of knocking aside one's expectations for something else, often something completely and utterly out of the blue.

Catherine didn't expect to be playing the role of liberator to her homeland's capital, yet here she stood, bloodied, tired, and still ready for a fight. She'd had an idea of what to expect when they marched on Fhirdiad. Her fears had been confirmed, that and more as she saw what the empire's rule had done to the city streets she'd once walked.

It made her blood boil fueling her attacks. Faced before the supporters of the usurper that lay dead at Dimitri's feet, she couldn't hold back a mounting sense of rage and outright revulsion as they clamored to defend a woman who all but declared that she'd burn the city down before letting it fall into enemy hands. Catherine didn't consider herself a diplomat by any means, she was a warrior through and through, yet even she found herself making an effort to talk down some of the warriors she fought against. Why, she had no idea, she'd thrown off the name Cassandra Charon to live on as Catherine, but she found herself unable to see the knights that fell before her and her comrades as anything more than traitors to their country. Before she knew it, her voice was shouting, not harsh battle cries but demands for an explanation as to why they were so needlessly throwing their lives away.

Some of them answered her. Some laid down their weapons and surrendered giving her reason to spare them. Some argued back. Some simply ignored her and chose to keep on fighting. She responded in kind.

_Here I am, even after all my efforts to become someone new and useful and…_ She just barely managed to stop herself from completing the statement. Even now, it was still a tad more than what she was able to handle, what she would allow herself to proclaim. Exhaustion suddenly sized her body in the absence of the adrenaline rush of battle. Catherine could feel herself beginning to lose her balance. She was going to fall.

But someone was there to catch her.

"It's over, Catherine. We won."

Just hearing the man's voice was enough for her body to ease up, for her to near completely and utterly give up and allow herself to lean on him. This feeling was different when compared to others who'd supported her in the past. They'd been comrades, but Byleth was something else, he was something more.

She took immense comfort in feeling his hand gripping hers, guiding her left arm to around his shoulders. He didn't need much help as Catherine relished the feel of being so close to him. With him at her side, she always felt…well, the best description was she always felt like the world was a brighter place. It was impossible ridiculous and illogical, but Catherine was willing to roll with it. At this point she could really use some stability, and Byleth always provided it. He did so even when he looked like he could use a break himself.

All around them lay piles of wreckage, the remains of war brought about by countrymen killing each other over their ideals and beliefs. At the academy she'd learned that was nothing new, unfortunately, and that for those who chose to fight it was a scenario that they could one day find themselves in. Catherine had been unsure of the notion when she was studying, but in time she'd learned that she wasn't anything special. Not because she held a Crest, not because she was a noble, and most certainly not because she was training to be knight. Studying civil wars had been one thing, fighting in them had been another. Thankfully, it was all over, but it was merely the end to one stage in what was rapidly becoming known as the "Unification War", which itself wasn't over just yet. But before they continued to fight it, they had to deal with the aftermath of this battle, and what a battle it had been.

Buildings lay in destroyed hemps, some just barely standing and others on the verge of collapse. As the Kingdom loyalist caught their brief and began to take in the fact that they'd just won, several more buildings collapsed, perhaps to remind them the cost at which the victory had come at. Several would argue that while high, the price had been worth it. Well worth it.

There wasn't a soldier, knight or sorcerer alike, who wasn't looking a mess, some more than others requiring the aid of their comrades to be kept upright. There were also those in need of immediate medical attention. As it seemed the battle was over, they got it. But even then, most of them found it in them to raise their arms or shout in victory as Dimitri held his family's Hero Relic overhead and let out a triumphant shout. It was a proud case of the flint starting a fire.

Catherine looked to the minty-haired swordsman with a soft smile. "Go up there with him. This victory is his just as much as it is yours." She encouraged. Not that he didn't already need the prestige, but she felt like Byleth deserved it, especially since he was the one who came up with the strategies and tactics needed for them to seize the day. Dimitri had been the spearhead, but he had been the brain guiding the spear and the rest of the body. "I promise, I'll be to survive until you get back."

His expression turned blissful thoughtful for a minute. Catherine knew that look on his face, it meant that she was going to have a moment to herself to compose herself and her feelings.

"Alright then, let's go."

"W-W-Wha-? H-Hey, w-w-wait a second!" It was useless, partially because she lacked the strength to resist…and because a part of her really didn't want to.

In a flash she was standing alongside Dimitri, who spared her a positive smile. Remembering their talks at the academy, Catherine felt a fierce blush rising up and seizing her by the cheeks. Behind him, she spotted the blue-haired Holy Knight, Marianne, looking at her with an expression of surprise, it quickly transformed into an amused giggle before she too raised her sword in triumph. Catherine bit her tongue and looked to Byleth, who merely smiled at her in a way that made her half want to deck him in the face.

_Damn you and that stupid smile of yours! _Thought the blonde behind a defeated smile. Moments later and it became one of pride as she raised Thunderbrand skyward and let out a proud shout with the others. Beside her, Byleth did the same with the Sword of the Creator. It was warming to hear his voice, usually flat and direct, now raised and brimming with emotion just like hers. Catherine couldn't help but see it as a cry of life, one that she'd fought to preserve and would continue to do so.

* * *

"You know, I don't think you're ever going to succeed in sneaking up on me."

Catherine chuckled. "Good thing I've kind of given up on that. It's been years since I've gone the stealth route and after all this time, I don't really think I should go back to it."

"Agreed!" Byleth yelled back before turning to face her. His face was that of a smile, its warmth like a spring breeze. "You're better off as a knight."

All she could do was return his smile and note how…at peace he seemed to be. It wasn't all that strange, at least considering that she was speaking of Byleth Eisner. He was a strange man, but that strangeness one could say was part of his charm; Catherine certainly found that to be the case. She'd seen him calm and at peace teaching in a classroom, small smiles gradually forming on his face as he taught students the lessons they'd need to survive and perhaps even thrive. On the battlefield, she'd seen a near emotionless demon slashing his way through enemies as if it were a simple task. Over time, the emotionlessly frown on his face had faded giving way to more recognizable things-anger, relief, horror, and joy when the battles ended. Now, Catherine had the image of Byleth looking almost like a child receiving a treat as he examined the wrecked remains of one of the mysterious constructs they'd fought against mere hours before.

Admittedly, Catherine wasn't particularly a fan of them. To her, they looked almost like black sores that dotted Fhirdiad, symptoms of a disease that had been cured with Cornelia's death. Still, the scars remained and would for a while. Catherine had felt a brief bout of unease when she saw them, and that unease grew as they found fighting the constructs was like attempting to shatter a boulder barehanded. Was it doable? Yes, but with more effort and focus than they could provide. Even while they battled the giant blade and shield-equipped constructs, human soldiers fell upon them, eager to sink their blades into their flesh if the war machines couldn't do it themselves. They did a decent enough job of wiping out several platoons of knights whose bodies had ranged from recognizable to pasty remains.

Even after they'd cut off the supply of magic to the constructs, they'd been a royal pain in the ass to fight. They lacked speed, but possessed the strength to topple fortress walls. One hit and it was an assurance there would be no open casket, or even a whole body to put into the ground. Catherine had seen it happen several times, and had nearly fallen to the same fate itself. Yes, it went without saying that Catherine was not a fan of the mechanized constructs, Titanus, as she'd heard some call them.

However, it appeared the Ashen Demon had gained an interest in them.

He sat on a stood and beside him stood a wooden table just big enough to hold a paper and feather pen. Actually, there were several stacks of paper, notes taken. Byleth's hands were marred in grease and soot, it went hand-in-hand with the giant arm, comparable to a tree's trunk in size, before him. It lay disconnected from the main body, itself a charred wreck. Seeing it jogged Catherine's memory. She'd been there when Mercedes launched an empowered fireball that blindsided the construct, burning a hole into it. Seeing it, Sylvain had acted on his chance and hurled a magical fireball himself into its exposed side. Unlike the others, it hadn't exploded into a fiery array of metal and components.

Stepping closer, she spotted a chunk of dark-gray colored metal beside the stacks. She swallowed a lump in her throat and reached for it. The chunk was understandably cold and…unsettling. Catherine turned it over in her hands, noting how the metal not only felt different from those that she knew, but it looked somewhat different. Her trained eyes could practically see it-a thin layer of magical energy that covered the surface. As she examined it, she realized the layer was fading, dying since it'd been cut off from a source.

Then it resurged to life. Looking to the side, she saw Byleth had reached out his hand and was touching the top of her hand with his fingers. Through her, he conducted magical energy, mana, into the metal fragment. Catherine looked back and saw the dark-gray metal was not faintly glowing, the light reflecting in her eyes.

"It reacts pretty well to magic, Reason Magic to be exact, and it's pretty suspectable to magic as well explaining how Mercedes and Annette and Marianne were able to destroy some of them. The rest had fallen to those who excelled in physical weaponry, Catherine herself included. "From what I can gather, it's the same material that Sylvain's scythe is made out of. That's good, it'll mean it can be repaired without losing strength."

"Is there enough to…make a weapon or two?" Questioned the blonde knight. She had no reason to be embarrassed, but something in her gut was telling her that she was meddling with something she shouldn't have, poking her nose where it didn't belong. It wasn't like such behavior was anything new for her.

"I'd say so, yes." Responded the younger male taking the metal fragment from her and placing it back on his small table. "I believe we can harvest a sizable amount of Agarthium from the Titanus we destroyed. They could come in handy in the future, especially if we're to aid Claude and the Alliance." No sooner had he spoken the words did he seemingly recoil. "Catherine, I'm-"

Giggling, she lightly punched him. Actually, it couldn't even really be called a punch as all she did was brush her knuckles against his cheek, a love tap at best. "If you apologize, I'll take this stupid rock and bash your head in. Though I'm getting tired of saying it, I'll say it again, where you go, I go. Wherever you find a need to fight, I'll be there on the frontlines, following your every order. I'll be there, watching your back like you're always doing for me." Her arm fell, a cheerful smile forming on her face. "I like doing that, fighting beside you, watching your back." She said with a laugh, amusement cackling in her bright blue eyes. "Byleth, like I told you that day at McKrae River, you've become an important presence in my life, one that I…don't think I can do without to be honest."

"That's…I…never really thought I'd hear that." In that moment, he was somewhat happy that it was now just him in his own head. Sothis had teased him enough about his budding feelings, but there were times he actually missed her teasing. This was a strange mixture of both, of wanting something and wishing it not so. "Heading to the Derdriu, from one capital to another."

"On a quest of liberation and resisting the Adrestian Empire, I'd say you're pretty much a modern-day Nemesis, even carrying the same sword as him." Noted the blonde knight gesturing to the sword that sat at his feet. It wasn't at all strange that even here, in the royal palace, he was keeping a weapon on him. Not that Byleth needed the blade physically at his side; she'd seen him call it to his hands when required and use it as swiftly as if he'd drawn it from a sheath. "Do you believe that history goes in cycles?"

"At times…at others…the cycle breaks. I try not to believe that our lives are defined by some mysterious powers or that we have no choice but to follow a pre-set plan." Answered the younger swordsman looking up at the remains of the war construct. Byleth's eyes seemed to sparkle almost with admiration at the massive weapon, even if it had nearly killed him and his students and allies. It was something new, something that he was struggling to wrap his head around. "We're here, on this earth, we make our choices, we reap the benefits…and we pay the consequences. Us and only us…or, that's what I'd like to believe anyway." A humorous laugh slipped from his lips as he turned to the Knight of Seiros. "Here I am talking about free-will when I've received a divine revelation from Fódlan's goddess and wielding a divine sword with her Crest to boot. Sounds overwhelming hypocritical, doesn't it?"

"No, or at least I don't think so." Answered back the former noblewoman in a cherry tone. It caught Byleth's attention as he looked to her with his dark eyes. There once was a time when that direct gaze was a bit scary and off-putting, but Catherine had learned to instead bask in it, enjoy it. "As far as I'm concerned, you're not here because the goddess put you here. You're standing here because…you chose to be, you chose to protect Lady Rhea and side with us then side with Edelgard. If you had-"

"Pretty much everyone would have been doomed, wouldn't they?" He shot off in a blank tone.

Catherine wasn't buying it. "If I didn't know any better, it almost sounds like you're enjoying being one of the lynchpins of this whole war."

Briefly, he smiled at her. Then his face fell and she was able to glimpse the real Byleth. "If I had…I would have had to fight all of you…and even kill you all. I would have helped conquer Fhirdiad instead of liberating it, and I'd be doing the same to Derdriu." His shoulders sagged as he looked up at the Titanus, his eyes filled with a particular sort of loathing she'd never seen before. "I would have been like that thing there, a soulless destroyer cutting down everything in my way. Then again," he laughed. "I still come off as that to anyone that I consider an enemy. So in hindsight, I guess all that changes is who I'm cutting down."

"That can make all the difference. It's one thing if you're cutting down those that have done something to warrant death, but it's a completely different story when you're going after people who've done nothing to deserve it." She couldn't believe how she sounded; it was so…unlike her. Yet Catherine couldn't bring herself to stop, not when she had the Ashen Demon listening to her, asking her for her input. It felt good having him give her such attention. "You may not think you've changed much, but I've seen you."

"Oh, that I know. There were times I thought you were spying on me while I was bathing."

Her time with Shamir had paid off in the best way possible in that very moment. All she did was turn her head in silence, a stark contrast to the stormy emotions within her. As usual, Byleth had been right, but the _subject matter_ they were on. It was a good thing they were alone. And a good thing that Byleth hadn't literally acquired the ability to read minds.

If he had, he no doubt would have seen several instances of him bathing and in various states of undress. All thinking he was alone but in reality, he was being watched.

By her.

By Thunder Catherine.

By a woman who threatened to kill him at a moment's notice.

It wasn't like he was underaged! She'd learned that he was twenty-one years-old, legal age! Old enough to drink! Old enough to kill! Old enough to be…spied on.

_I-I was just observing him! That's it! Just making sure he wasn't a threat!_ She'd tried to convince herself. When Shamir had discovered her…activities, she'd taken every opportunity to get all the laughs she could out of it. Catherine thought she'd never hear the end of it. And it wasn't over yet, the next time they met, probably in an hour or so, she'd somehow pry the information from her and get another jab in. Her mind raced and her gut lurched at the thought of it. Even worse, her spilling her secrets to the others. Seteth was bad enough.

But what about the students? Dimitri and the others, how would they take it?!

_W-Wait a minute! W-What the hell am I saying?! I'm sounding like some random woman about to marry into some big crazy family! _As soon as her mind uttered the sentence a mental image of the Blue Lions from five years ago popped into her mind. How they all trusted Byleth and followed his every command, how they all asked him questions he did his best to answer, and how he made sure he was there to hear out each of their concerns when doubt and worry visited them. He looked after them, nurtured them as if they were his own flesh and blood. They were his children, his little lion cubs as he'd called them.

It wasn't like she didn't feel a certain protectiveness of them herself. Particularly regarding Dimitri and Ashe and Ingrid, all of whom she knew on a personal level. Ashe, Catherine wouldn't dare say it aloud, but she felt a certain level of responsibility to him in regards to what happened to his brother. The memory haunted her, and would likely keep haunting her until she shuffled off her mortal coil. Catherine was fine with that, the guilt served as a positive reminder that she might still have been-

"Huh?" Blinking in surprise, she refocused her eyes on the mint-haired young adult sitting beside her. "What are you doing?"

"Yawning." He said flatly.

"N-No! B-Before that you were-"

"I was staring at you." He answered truthfully. A minute later and his lips curved into a sly smile. "You know, you're pretty cute when you're all nervous and flustered."

Her brain crashed, then it recovered, then it crashed again. The Crest-bearing woman stumbled back, her face rapidly turning red as she gaped at the blue-eyed male. "W-W-W-W-W-What the hell?! A-A-Are you o-o-out of y-your mind?! N-N-Nervous and flustered?! Where the hell did you come up with something like that?!" At the moment, she wanted to keep blindly lashing out at him, but all he did was continue to smile at him. _Sweet mother of Seiros…is he…is he…flirting with me?! _The thought was shocking…but not revolting, quite the opposite if Catherine were being honest with herself.

There was a laugh on his end. It sent an electric jolt running up her spine causing her blush to grow deeper. "You always look better when you're smiling and laughing." He admitted. Upon closer inspection Catherine was able to make out the bags under his eyes. It finally occurred to her that between the battle's end, the victory celebrations and his talk with Dimitri and subsequent revelation regarding Claude's call for aid he'd had little in the way of rest. Much like the rest of them. "I…want to keep you smiling and laughing, I'd rather see you like that than see you looking angry, not that your…angry…face…doesn't have a certain charrr…"

On sheer impulse she rushed forward, practically knocking aside his work table and scattering his research to the floor. Catherine didn't care about it in the slightest; what she did care about was the young man in her arms. A sigh of relief slipped past her lips once she read Byleth's breathing and found he'd merely fallen asleep from exhaustion rather than any lingering injuries. Not that those weren't causing him discomfort; knowing Byleth, he must have chosen to just work through the lingering pain. Knowing the professor, that was the likely reason for his deep slumber.

"Geez, did your just run out of steam now by coincidence or did you play this whole thing out?" Groaned the blonde-haired knight. Of course, she wasn't just going to leave him here in this store room, that left her only one viable option. It was a good thing that they'd all gone over the layout of the royal palace if push came to shove and they found themselves fighting within its walls.

After wrapping up his belongings, including the "Agarthium chunk" as he'd called it, Catherine slung the sleeping man onto her shoulder and began to carry him down the hallway. She made a mental note to ask Byleth where he'd come up with the name. Agarthium. She felt like she'd heard it before, specifically during one of the lectures that Lady Rhea had given.

As she walked, Catherine wondered how her lady was doing at the moment. Without a doubt, news of Cornelia's defeat and the liberation of Fhirdiad and Dimitri's official coronation had probably reached Enbarr, and by extension, Edelgard. There wasn't a chance in hell they were going to take such a defeat lying down.

Yet, Catherine wondered how hopeful the Archbishop would become once she learned of the news. While quite the forgiving woman, Catherine also knew the woman was practical and at times pragmatic to the point of ruthlessness. Once she heard the news of their victory, she'd consider the possibility of them marching on Enbarr to rescue her, at least until she learned that the Adrestian Empire had set its sights on the Alliance's capital.

"Lady Rhea," whispered the knight sparing a glance at the man slung over her shoulder. "You'd approve of his decision, wouldn't you? It's coming from Claude, he was there with the rest of us, fighting to hold back the imperial army…so…I can't…we can't just abandon him." She'd never been to the Alliance capital, said to be a beautiful marvel that sat upon the water. It wasn't like she had much of an interest in going there, after all, she did wield a sword with the ability to fire bursts of lightning. One careless move and it'd be wildfires and property damage galore. And yet it seemed her path to finding her lady was set to make direct her latest detour there, and would likely involve some destruction of the city by nature of the ongoing war.

She couldn't help but laugh recalling Byleth's earlier inquiry about pre-determination versus free-will. Now she was having a similar one regarding how one had to deal with things they never expected to experience or not in the way they'd intended to.

Catherine could have placed her own emotional state under the category as well. While parts of her body were still sore, she felt like she was walking on air for one reason-the man beside her.

Cracking the door opened revealed a truly lavish room that Catherine knew had practically been forced on Byleth. It was a given he needed space, but what he'd gotten was a tad much. Doubtlessly, it was a room fit for a royal guest with its massive space, expensive fur carpets, furniture, and masterfully painted portraits that hung on the stone walls. Under ordinary circumstances, it'd be something to marvel at and take a bit of pride in. Tonight, it was simply shelter for the Faerghus-Church's strategist and figurehead. First she laid out his materials on a nearby desk, then she moved him over to the queen-sized bed.

While she didn't really consider herself an avid reader, Catherine knew enough to realize this was the…tricky part. As she attempted to lean Byleth down, she carefully watched him to ensure that he didn't suddenly wake up and find her above him, lowering him into bed. The incident in the store room was bed enough, this one would surely be the end of her.

A breath of relief left the knight s she succeeded in lowering the former mercenary onto the bed. He hadn't been disturbed in the slightest by the walk from the storeroom to Catherine's putting him to rest. Briefly, she toyed with pushing him under the covers, but dismissed the thought realizing that was taking things perhaps a bridge too far.

Having said that, she did linger over him, her eyes trained on his peaceful face. Honestly, she couldn't see the family resemblance between Byleth and his late father. Jeralt looked the part of a ragged mercenary, his son did not. The nearest Catherine could guess was that his physical appearance must have came from his mother, whoever she was.

"_I never knew her. She…she died giving birth to me." _He'd once told her, a flicker of pain shooting across his eyes as he did so. Clearly, it wasn't something he liked to think about, so Catherine dropped the topic and vowed to never bring it up again.

Subconsciously, she glided her fingertips across his cheek. It was a testament to his skill as a fighter that he'd surmounted perhaps hundreds of battlefields, yet not one permanent scar could be found on his face. Catherine imagine with his good looks quite a number of fighters had made threats to take out an eye or perhaps cut his nose off. Evidently, they'd all failed, and could probably be found providing nutrients for the worms and the soil. Such a dark thought, but one she couldn't help but entertain, she was still a warrior after all. His feminine face that had mesmerized more than half of the female half of the monastery, Catherine had seen it steadily grow, gathering more expressions to it.

Just as he admitted to seeing her smile, so too did she enjoy seeing him smile. And laugh.

Such normal expressions and she couldn't help but pool over how good they looked on his normally blank face. With a humorous laugh she realized that might have been part of the charm of seeing them on Byleth's face.

Her fingers had gone from brushing across his cheek to cupping it. Before she knew it, Catherine found herself leaning down.

His lips looked so inviting, so tantalizing that she wanted to dive right in. A thin shred of self-control stopped her; it quickly multiplied and thickened, becoming an iron chain that reeled her back in. Even then, Catherine couldn't bring herself to remove her hand.

_You're the one they're always going after. More so than Dimitri or Seteth or even me. They go after you because they know you're our ace in the hole. You're our hope. _Gradually, battle after battle, Catherine had started to see a pattern forming in the imperial army. Whenever they clashed, at least several made a point to go after Byleth. It wasn't uncommon as his reputation had spread. He'd gone from being a "simple mercenary" to the "Holy One" by both enemy and ally alike for his divine blessing.

Another popular label was the "Divine Demon" once talk turned to his combat prowess. Catherine had discussed it with Seteth and both of them had nervously laughed about how fitting it was. To others he may have been a demon, an instrument of divine wrath or some sort, but to her and the others, the was a friend, an ally, their leader.

But he was also something more to Catherine, something that she was beginning to realize she never thought she'd have.

The urge to press her lips against his returned, stronger than she'd thought possible.

_Just one, just one little kiss and I can bug out! It's not like I haven't done more with others! Albeit never like that…_Two sides of her mind wrestled with one another for control. Neither managed to win leaving Catherine realizing she was in a bind that would surely only get worse. She couldn't stay here, hovering over Byleth's bed like some sort of specter. What would he think of her then?

Her shoulders trembled as she briefly shut her eyes and sucked in air through her nose. What she was about to do was something she hadn't done in years. Not since she was known as Cassandra, not since she _was_ Cassandra Charon, someone with aspirations of valor and heroism.

"Come what may at Deidriu and beyond…I'll have your back, Byleth." Whispered the former noblewoman turned knight before leaning over and lightly planting a kissing against the professor's cheek. At heart, she wanted to do more, so much more. As she made for the door, she looked back and briefly imagined stripping off her armor…and his, then curling up in bed together. "Stop it, Cat, that's not…that's not you." It'd be another woman, one preferable younger and closer to Byleth's age. Not to mention someone whose heart was empty and would welcome another's presence in it. It had no place for her.

She stepped out and proceeded down the hallway before coming to a stop. Crossing her arms, she heaved out a sigh and turned around to find a familiar face awaiting her.

"Apologies, I…I came to check in on the Professor to see how he was faring. I just came from tending to the prince." Gilbert spoke with a slight bow of his head.

Catherine's brow fell. "How's he holding up since…ya' know." She'd been close enough to hear Cornelia's last words, or rather, her final act of spite. While she never knew much of the royal family and its inner workings, her words had been a hard punch, especially since it basically meant that the only mother Dimitri had ever loved essentially abandoned him. A mixture of hatred and sadness rolled about within her as she realized so many of Faerghus noble families were plagued with all the evils man could fathom.

It was Gilbert's turn to sigh. "He is…sorting his thoughts out. Luckily, his mind has recovered enough that he swears he won't dwell on it too much. Not when a friend is requesting our aid."

"So, next stop on this little war tour is the Leicester Alliance." Catherine stated.

"Yes, it appears so. Is that alright with you…Catherine?" Asked the male knight keeping himself ready to her possible reaction.

First, there came a shrug, then a smile that Gilbert could sworn he hadn't seen for quite a few years. He could tell he wasn't the one she was looking at, at least not with her eyes or heart. "Wherever he goes…I'll go, I've got to watch his back because I…I've already lost enough things in life. I won't be losing him. Not to this war, not to empire…and not Edelgard."

No doubt the older knight saw the brief break in her demeanor, but he chose to respect her wishes and say nothing on the matter. "I see, that is good to hear. We'll be having a meeting tomorrow to discuss the kingdom's recovery as well as our plans to aid the Alliance and perhaps form an allied front against the empire."

"I'll be there," Waved off the blonde knight turning on her heel. "Though I have to ask, shouldn't you be looking after Dimitri? Making sure he's alright?"

This time, the axe-wielder smiled. "I have…and I have left him in capable hands."

Catherine's mind raced with names and faces before she settled on one. A Cheshire smile formed on her lips. "Making sure there's a future heir to throne?! I'm sure Rodrigue and the late king would be proud!"

"As is your father for returning home and defending your homeland." He calmly fired back.

She let that one slide, perhaps because it was late and she herself was tired. "I'd say to go check up on your daughter…but last I saw of her, she seemed to be in safe hands. Old Rodrigue can without a doubt rest easy."

Like lightning, she'd struck fast and hit her target. Strong as the mountain might have been, even it too could crumble with a single well-placed blow.

Well, maybe not crumble, but at least be cracked. And glare right back at the one who'd cracked it.

* * *

**Next chapter's the last one and the big S-Support, only expanded! **


	4. Chapter 4-I Love You

**Took a while, but here we are at the final chapter with the S-Support you've all been waiting for! Hope you all enjoy!**

**I do not own anything.**

* * *

_**Chapter 4-I Love You**_

Each fireball flew from the magical circle like an arrow launched from a bow, soaring through the air then impacting the marked targets with explosive booms. A second ago there stood several wooden pools marked with the emblem of the Adrestian Empire. They were now set ablaze, some little more than smoking and charred remains. Deeper into the forest, hidden behind the bushes lay more targets. Another series of fireballs flew past the woods, hitting them dead center. The forest lit up with shades of orange and yellow as new fires were born. They'd be put out before they could spread, but the singe marks would remain as a testament to the achievements of the female knight.

Said achievements would always live on in the memory of the teal-haired man watching it all. A familiar burst of pride exploded within his chest, causing a colorful smile to blossom along his face. It didn't go unnoticed by the one responsible for it.

She loved that smile, that smile that timed with life and purpose. It made Catherine's heart flutter in excitement as if she were a little schoolgirl in spite of her age. Granted, she wasn't _that _old, at least not yet. Speaking of age, the dozen smoking targets spoke of yet another truth-she wasn't too old to learn. That was something she'd accepted when she asked to join his class, and thankfully, he'd accepted. She'd already graduated from the academy, having learned all she needed to survive.

Or so she thought.

She'd studied the arts of combat in her youth, excelling at swordsmanship with brawling as a secondary. Her name had become synonymous with swordplay that could overcome any foe. She believed she was set.

Meeting Byleth Eisner on the other hand, had changed all of that. No longer would she, Thunder Catherine have merely her swordsmanship and brawling to rely on, now she could say that she knew her way around the magical arts. Albeit, she wasn't going to be winning any sorcery contests, but what she knew was enough to get her by. Or rather, it would be enough to get her through the coming battles.

As she looked back at Byleth, Catherine subtly realized it wasn't merely the eventual siege of Fort Merceus and siege of Enbarr. She was thinking about what lay beyond those battles, what lay beyond the end of the war.

It went without saying, but Fódlan was going to be a very different place when the war was over. For starters, the Leicester Alliance was no more, having been dissolved by Claude himself and succeeded to Dimitri and the Kingdom of Faerghus. Catherine couldn't scarily believe the news when she heard it; it took Byleth himself telling her what it was true for her to fully believe it. And now they were knocking on the Empire's door, preparing to charge right into the heart of the Adrestian Empire and either kill or capture the country's emperor.

"I seriously can't believe I'm standing here." A minute passed before Catherine realized she'd said that out loud, and in the presence of someone else, someone who was very, very close to her heart. Acting on sheer impulse, she threw her arms up and attempted to explain herself. "N-N-N-Not standing here with you! I-I-I mean i-i-in th-this situation, s-s-standing on the edge of a revolution! That's what I mean!"

His stare was flat, his face unreadable, but only for a moment. Silently, he turned his gaze upward, to the cloudless late evening sky. It'd rained the day before leaving a large number of puddles and moisture in the air. With the sun out, the humidity had reached a level where Dimitri and the others concurred that it was best to wait a day or so before continuing onward. It wasn't like a day's difference would matter much in the long run. The Adrestian Empire knew they were coming, and they'd already smashed their way through to Fort Merceus, the last line of defense before Enbarr. Not to mention most of Edelgard's forces had been drained battling them across Faerghus and Leicester territory. After a long hard slug, the war had reached its final stage, and that stage would no doubt be extremely bloody as tensions finally reached their breaking point.

Behind his stoic façade, Catherine could see a swirl of emotions building within him. "You're not alone. I hear that a lot around camp, how differently their lives have gone from what they originally expected. Some of them good…and the others bad." He walked forward, stretching his arms out and muttering a single line of magical incantation. Appearing between his index fingers and thumbs was a magical circle that began to rotate like a windmill. Streaks of wind manifested around the circle, drawing in the oxygen that the embers and fires needed to burn. Within moments, all that remained were black scorch marks on the trees and targeting posts. "Catherine, do you…regret how things have turned out?"

Her expression turned flat as she crossed her arms, her head down with a thoughtfully expression. Byleth's face faulted, his worry showing as he believed the answer he was going to get would be a negative. His fears were swept away as the blonde knight rose to meet him, a warm smile on her face. "While there were some parts I could do without, I can say that I'm rather happy with how my life's gone. I've walked the path I've chosen for myself with my head held high and I'm ready to keep on going. Mostly because I've made some great friends and memories along the way. For example…I've been able to meet you, that's reason enough for me not to regret how things have gone." She took immense joy in seeing the swordsman's face light up like a star in the night sky. Catherine couldn't help but laugh in blissful amusement. "Like I told you, you've become an important presence in my life. Right next to Lady Rhea, I…I…"

He watched her falter with growing amusement. It took a great deal of willpower to keep his lips from twitching upward into a smile. Then again, if they did, it wasn't like he'd regret doing so. Or lacked the power to try again. Calmly, he sat himself on the ground and looked up to the ever-blue sky that hung high above their heads. "Personally, I can't believe I've gone from being a mercenary to a teacher to a divine conduit to the co-leader of an army fighting to liberate and unite Fódlan under one banner. At some point, I' expecting to wake up from this dream and go back to my normal, dreary existence as a mercenary." Chuckled the Ashen Demon spreading his hands out behind his back. "At the very least I can say that I've survived this long, that'll be one thing I'll be able to say to him when we meet again."

"By him…do you…mean Jeralt?" Nervously asked the knight. This was unlike her, but she just couldn't get her growing emotions under control, even after all the practice she'd undergone. "I-I think y-you can do more than just tell him you survived a massive unification war. I mean you'll have lived your whole life, at least another sixty years or so…" Catherine joined him in laying back and watching the sky. A few clouds had begun to drift across the great blue. In perhaps two or three hours, the blue skies would begin to darken. "You shouldn't think about stuff like that, it's far off, way far off. If you want to tell him that, tell him of our victory over Edelgard when we return to Garreg Mach."

That got a laugh out of him causing her to smile. "That sounds like a better plan, so I think I might take it. I suppose that part of me is still thinking like a mercenary, living from one battlefield to another…not really thinking about much of anything or anyone in particular. Now…I…I never really thought I'd have it."

Catherine sat up, looking to him with curiosity. "Have what?"

There were times the knight seriously wondered how anyone could have ever thought that Byleth lacked emotion. When he looked at her, she could see so many different things swirling in his eyes-doubt, worry, curiosity, amusement, and relief. Sure, at the beginning he'd been a tad distant, but she'd caught glimpses of a very real person beneath it all. A person she'd come to treasure greatly. "I never thought I'd have a real reason for fighting, a reason beyond survival." Quietly, Byleth sat upright, his gaze distant and directed to the cosmos that lay beyond the blue-sky mortals could see. Fusing with Sothis had opened up so much to him, yet he wanted to believe at heart he was still a human. Or rather, he was getting closer to _being_ human. "I don't think it would have been off-base to call me nothing but a corpse or a beast swinging a sword when I was younger," there was a pause. "No, before I came to the monastery. "I was just fighting, day after day, battle after battle. Slowly, I took enjoyment in it, fighting for the sheer sake of it, but I always felt like something was…missing. I know that something was a hard reason. I suppose that's why I chose to teach Dimitri and the Blue Lions, knights have the luxury of fighting for a cause, like you do."

"L-L-Like me?" Catherine stammered?

Byleth nodded, his smile so easy-going it might as well have been mystical. "You claim you fight for Lady Rhea, and while that's true, I also know you fight to defend anyone who needs protecting. Don't deny it because I've seen it with my own eyes. You're more than just a knight…you're a protector, a guardian." He softly swiftly averted his gaze from hers, missing out on the pink tint that colored her cheeks. "I always envied that about you. To be honest, I suppose that's another reason why I tried so hard to save Dimitri, because he could be more than just a vengeance-driven destroyer."

"You succeeded, you succeeded in spades, Byleth." He looked to her with slight enlarged eyes. Catherine turned about to face him, their eyes aligning with one another. "You helped pull him out of the hell that he'd fallen into, you did that for most if not all of us. Your students…us, the knights, the other members of the church, hell, even those in the Alliance and Kingdom…" Internally, the former heiress of House Charon reached out and intertwined her right hand with his. A part of her wished they weren't wearing gloves, she wanted to feel their skin connect, no matter how rough or scratched it was. "You stopped being some mindlessly or senseless destroyer a long time ago, or at least you weren't when I met you. Byleth you're…you're practically a savior, our savior."

Her words created a vacuum between the two of them. The newly certified magic-user stared into the green eyes of the former mercenary, who found himself completely captivated by her bright blue orbs. He'd always found her eyes striking, how blue and full of vigor they were, in complete contrast to his own. Whenever they fell on him, Byleth couldn't help but find himself feeling something odd tugging at his gut. The feeling only grew as time passed and he and Thunder Catherine got to know one another. He'd always enjoyed seeing her eyes shimmering with joy, either after a hard-fought battle or just in down time, when they could lay down their arms and relax. Unknown to him, the feeling went both ways as Catherine enjoyed watching his eyes steadily gain more and more life and passion in them. In particular, she liked it when that passion was borne from her.

Catherine had watched life gradually blaze into existence behind his teal-colored orbs. The closer they got to the heart of the empire, the greater the threat to that life would be. She was sure that Lady Rhea was secured somewhere in the Imperial dungeon, waiting to be rescued. Something in Catherine's gut told her that the archbishop was now only a minor player in this conflict. Though a frontline fighter, she wasn't blind to the intentions and drama unfolding during the war. Things had become personal, at the head of Adrestia stood the emperor…and on their side, leading a united Faerghus-Leicester-Church army marched her step-brother, and one of her instructors, one she'd heard she'd taken a liking to. Even at the Battle of Gronder Field Edelgard gave special attention to Byleth over the other combatants, even Dimitri.

Something dark and ugly blossomed within Catherine as she thought of what the emperor might say or do to the Ashen Demon if given the chance. For one reason or another, she doubted that she'd kill Byleth, he was too valuable a resource.

"Catherine," His voice brought her back to reality, and made her aware of the fact that her body had moved on its own. His hand fell upon hers, which was caressing his cheek with unusual gentleness. In spite of the realization, Catherine didn't remove her hand for some time.

When she did, she tried to look away. "You and Dimitri…you're going to go meet with Edelgard, aren't you?"

Byleth's face fell. "We will, we have to at least try."

She knew that he already knew what the result of this meeting would be. At best, the prince and professor would return to them and merely tell them to prepare for the march on Force Mercerus. At worst…well, Edelgard never went anywhere with her faithful right hand, Hubert. Catherine couldn't exactly say she hated the former student; in many ways, he was just like her-devoted to a fault to the one they served.

Except she was a knight through and through who preferred the direct approach. Hubert was everything opposite of her, right down to their aptitudes in magic. Catherine knew if they came to blows her only hope would be to get in close and strike at the black-haired sorcerer up close and personal. At a distant, she'd fall to his dark magic failing Lady Rhea, her homeland, _and _Byleth.

"Then let me come with both of you." She finally said.

"Dedue's already going to be just a few paces behind us." Byleth softly chided. "Armored with an anti-magic shield just in case."

Catherine defiantly crossed her arms. "That's all well and good, but we both know he's built for defense and shattering, not attacking at the blink of an eye. Besides," Raising her right hand, she snapped her fingers, causing a candle-like flame to appear in the palm of her hand. "What's the good of teaching me magic if I don't know get the chance to use it."

He smiled at her, as if she were one of his students and they were back in the classrooms of Garreg Mach. There was no stopping the blush along her cheeks. "I trust Edelgard to keep her word about keeping this meeting civil. She respects us enough that she'll wait until we're on the battlefield so we can die warriors' deaths like we deserve." Gently, he placed his hand beneath hers, his palm touching the back of hers. The flame within Catherine's hand grew brighter, more radiant. He took control of the flames, shaping them into the Crest of Seiros; a feat that Catherine knew she'd need another month of training to do. "When we reach Enbarr, go straight to the Imperial Prison, I'm sure that's where Rhea will be. Find her and get her out of the capital so if all else fails, she'll still be around to continue the fight, and she'll still have you."

Though they'd meant to be comforting, what Byleth's words put in Catherine's heart was fear. Fear of losing him. The dark thought had always rested in the corner of her mind, silently biting at her confidence only to be violently pushed back. Now, as they neared the end, that fear took a hard bite of her. Instinctively, her fingers curled. The flames in their joined hands suddenly roared as if in anger or denial. Byleth's mouth fell open as he sensed a sudden darkness wash over him; he pinpointed the epicenter when he felt Catherine's forehead connect with his.

"Don't say something stupid like that." Whispered the blonde knight. From the hood of her wheat-colored locks her bright blue eyes found his. Byleth felt as if the rest of the world ceased to exist. "We're going to make to Enbarr, we're going to free Lady Rhea, and _we _will return to the monastery. I'm not counting on anything being the same, because it's sure as hell not going to be, but whatever future that may come…we're going to meet it, together."

They could feel one another's breaths, quick and fast-paced as if they were in a battle. Catherine was well aware of her own heart beating and she was sure Byleth's was beating as well.

When he came to Garreg Mach, Byleth liked to believe that's when his heart learned to beat. It beat for all the things he'd experienced and people he'd met. Catherine, she was one defining reason why he thought it was able to beat so fiercely like a drum at times. As it'd done so before, it did so now. It beat for her.

Gradually, they both closed their eyes and clapped their hands together. The flames flickered and faded out, embers scattering to the wind as their palms finally touched. Warmth could be found there, and it wasn't simply because of the residual flames.

"When you face Edelgard, I'll be there like I promised. I'll be there watching your back, after all, someone's gotta do so." She finished with a chuckle.

"True, together, I do think we make a good team." Laughed back Enlightened One. "Guess we should probably head back, or…would you like to stay outside a bit longer?"

"And get a private lesson in magic all to myself? How am I to say no to something like that?" Giggled the Crest-bearing knight. She had little shame in allowing her face to blush as she let her true feelings out. "Speaking of which, you don't seem all that surprised that I've got a knack for fire magic instead of lightning. Seems a bit odd, don't you think?"

"Not quite, fire suits you." Byleth responded rising to his feet. His hand was still attached to hers so she rose with him. "I've heard some say that fire and lightning are two sides of the same coin. According to scholars, they're both related to a substance called 'plasma' making them somewhat elemental cousins. Another distant tale I've heard is of a mighty dragon who fell from the heavens, only to eventually splint into three beings, two bearing dominion over fire and lightning. If lightning represents your lineage of House Charon and duty to the archbishop…then maybe fire just represents you as yourself-fiery and spirited." He smiled at her, causing her blush to deepen. "That's not such a bad thing."

"So aptly explained, just like a teacher." The Mortal Savant laughed. "Alright then, let's see what else you can teach me in what time we've got. When we hit Fort Merceus I wanna be able to hit it hard and fast, then move onto the capital."

"Right then, pay attention. Since you're got a specialty with fire, control is going to be important."

Deep in the back of Catherine's mind, there was another association she thought of in regards to fire, and lightning. Both of them left ashes in their wake. She found that connection quite fitting as it meant that she and Byleth were connected, albeit their rolls were somewhat reversed. Wherever he went she privately vowed she would follow. Usually, ashes followed after one of the previously two mentioned elements. Usually.

There was nothing wrong with bucking the trend, after all, she'd done it herself.

* * *

"Catherine, go to him."

Even in her weakened state, the voice of the archbishop still seemed to carry some measure of power. It did for Catherine at least.

Immediately, she looked to the mint-haired woman who'd caused her little to no end of worry. Finally, she was in her arms, actually, slung over her shoulders to be precise. And he was telling her to leave her and go fight.

"Wh-What?! B-B-But milady, I-"

"Catherine!" Not just the knight, but several others jumped at the sudden volume of Rhea's voice. In glance, it was clear the Archbishop of the Church of Seiros had seen better days, albeit her condition was slightly better than many had been fearing. For starters, she had both of her arms and legs. On the surface, it didn't look like she'd been dealt any lasting damage, but that was only because no one dared to look beneath her tattered robes, gray and white sheets given to prisoners whose lives had lost value in the eyes of society. A minute ago, Rhea's eyes completed the look, looking as hazy as one would have expected. Then came the miniature earthquake followed by the massive skyward-pillar of malefic energy. The moment she saw it, her mind and spirit seemed to regenerate, her strength returning as she stood up and gave that one defining command to her loyal protector, and cut her off with a single shout. All of it in the span of a few seconds at best. "Byleth is fighting at the Imperial Palace, with Dimitri and the rest of the Blue Lions, correct?"

"Y-Yes, ma'am." She answered, feeling like she was a child instead of an adult. If not for the situation at hand, Catherine would have found it embarrassing, being treated as such in the presence of her fellow knights and the kingdom troops assigned to the rescue mission.

"Then quit wasting time tending to me and go reinforce them, now before it's too late!" Barked the newly freed archbishop. Again, her voice boomed like a clap of thunder visibly shocking the knights present, but none more so than Catherine, who stared at her self-appointed charge like she'd grown a second head. Suddenly, Rhea dislodged herself from Catherine's arms. It was amazing how she found the strength to stand in spite of the harsh treatment she'd endured for nearly six years straight. "Catherine, Cassandra, what they're fighting at the palace is something beyond mortal comprehension, something that will take all the strength of every capable fighter here to defeat. That includes you! You must go to them; you must go to _him_! Be at his side when he needs you the most!"

Several flinched as the topic matter became public. Pretty much every man and woman present knew who Rhea was talking about, and a handful knew exactly _why _she was saying all of this to Thunder Catherine.

Wherever the Ashen Demon, the _Divine _Demon was, the female Knight of Seiros wasn't far behind, covering him and at times clearing a path for him as if she were his personal vanguard.

The knight in question realized this as she found herself the subject of her lady's piercing stare. Catherine couldn't remember the last time that Rhea had looked at her in such an intense and focused way. A moment later and their intensity slackened as a light of tenderness flickered across her green orbs. "He needs you at his side more than I do mine. You have stood beside me for many years now, and for that I thank you, Catherine. But the time has come for you to leave me, for you to go to where you were meant to be-at Byleth's side. The side of the man you…"

Either her strength ran out or she simply chose to honor her privacy, Rhea stopped there and allowed the thought to blossom within the knight's head.

Catherine's face went through a myriad of different emotions from shock to anger to denial and finally to realization. The powers of the universe must have helped as the ground beneath them all shook once again, sending several toppling to their knees and causing the horses to erupt into a noticeable panic. It was a scene being repeated across the capital all the way down to the wild birds and sewer rats; they could all sense the threat, the evil that had been unleashed upon the world.

And standing in the way of that evil was the man who'd unknowingly claimed Catherine's heart, even after she thought she'd already given it to someone else.

Given her still-fresh magical abilities, including a heightened sense of mystical awareness, Catherine could feel the dark aura a tad better than others. She didn't like what she felt. She also didn't like the fact that people she cared about, people she loved were engaging in battle against the owner of that evil aura.

Biting her lip and tightening her fist, she looked to Rhea, "You'll…you'll…"

In spite of the mood, she reached over and caressed her cheek. "I've survived on my own for the last five years, another hour or two won't cause me to suddenly drop dead."

"You don't look like it." Some of Byleth's wit had rubbed off on her. Curse him for that, five years ago she never would have dreamed of uttering such a phrase to her lady.

Rhea managed to laugh, but only for a little while. She quickly doubled over. Catherine was the first to grab her, keeping her upright. Then came in Alois. He hadn't exactly had it easy, taking more than a fair share of magical blasts that had left him crippled at one point. Still, his posture spoke of iron-willed determination. When he looked to her, his eyes were burning with the same light as Rhea's.

"I'll look after her; in the meantime, you go back up Byleth! If that freaky light show is any indication, he's going to need all the help he can get!" Boomed the axe-wielding knight. "You have my word, we'll keep her safe!"

Again, she bit her lips. Finally, Catherine looked her fellow knight in the eye. "You better, and you better keep yourself alive! I'm not going to be the one to go and tell Blaise and Mirella why they can't enjoy the post-war peace without you at their side!"

All she saw of him was a curt nod before she took off. Her eyes fell on a single pegasus, its rider getting the hint quickly and moving over to make room for her as she all but slammed herself onto the back of the creature. It took off with a flap of its snow-white wings. Catherine looked back, she could have sworn that Rhea was smiling at her, encouraging her. She was going to need that encouragement for the coming battle.

The closer they got to the palace the more nervous Catherine became. It was probably due to the stray magic bolts, each one the size of a fortress door. Immediately, the first thing her mind began to ask was what sort of being could wield that much power, that much _dark_ power to be precise.

"AAAARGGGHH!"

"BYLETH!" Screamed the Mortal Savant recognizing the pain-filled cry. The entire capital vanished from her field of vision, including the massive battle engulfing it. Impulse took over causing her to leap from the back of the pegasus she'd been riding, the roof of the imperial palace directly below her. She held out a single hand, her left arm across above her right and her index and middle fingers alight with mystical energy. There was a palm-sized magical circle appearing in her right hand, from it shot forth a gigantic fireball that demolished the rooftop of the building, and continued beyond it. Quickly, her right shot back and grabbed at the hilt of Thunderbrand. The protective wrappings around the weapon faded out as red-lightning arched around the blade.

As the smoke cleared, Catherine caught a glimpse of the battle unfolding within the palace. She saw a horrific, massive creature seemingly made of dark-gray chunks with a myriad of warped wings behind her. It looked up at her and Catherine had a brief moment of realization. Earlier, the archbishop had spoken the truth, the emperor had indeed tapped into some new and unholy force of power. Power that had allowed for her to grab hold of Byleth and squeeze the life out of him.

Catherine saw red. "Get your filthy hands off him, now!" Thundered the warrior woman bringing her lightning-attributed blade down upon the out-stretched arm.

A mixture of black blood and smoky-ash burst from the severed arm, spraying about as the monstrosity that used to be Edelgard jerked backward. Seeing the opportunity, Dimitri, Sylvain, and Felix pressed their attack while Annette and Lysithea supported them from the rear with magical fire.

She paid them little mind as the blonde turned her attention to Byleth, who was rising to his feet in spite of the death grip he'd been in a second earlier. "Would you believe me if I told you I wanted this wrapped up by the time you got here?"

Catherine laughed as she helped him up, her hands immediately moving to tend to his wounds. She wasn't a healer like Mercedes, Marianne, Manuela, but that didn't mean that she didn't know how to tend to injuries presented to her. Especially when they belonged to the man she loved. "Well, this just means that we'll get to spend more time together. Another memory, another battlefield, seems like it fits our trend, doesn't it?"

"Yeah, it does, though after this I think we should try for something a little different." He responded in a rather upbeat voice that brought a blush to Catherine's face.

"Hey! If you two are finished making moony eyes at one another, we have a war to end over here!" Barked the Blue Lions' chief swordsman, his family's ancestral shield being used to fend off a flurry of magical blast.

The arm that Catherine had severed had regenerated, it was good as new. It seemed the emperor truly wasn't going down without a fight.

Looking to one another, the Ashen Demon and Thunder Catherine decided they would give her just that. They looked at one another, the Sword of the Creator suddenly blazing with red and golden light while Thunderbrand crackled with red and blacken bolts of lightning. Twin smiles blossomed along the swordmasters.

"You've got my back?" Questioned the younger male.

"Now…and always!" Grinned back the older woman.

Together, their swords raised high, the pair charged forward, the roar of the malformed Emperor of Adrestian eventually being drowned out by the battle cries of the united forces of the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus and Leicester Alliance and the Church of Seiros.

* * *

To say that life after the Battle of Enbarr had been a whirlwind would have been like saying it was wet after a rainstorm.

Byleth had no idea how he'd found himself here, or exactly what lay ahead of him. He tried to trace it all back to two days ago, when Rhea, visibly recovered from her imprisonment, made the announcement she was stepping down as Archbishop of the Church of Seiros. Naturally, there was a major outcry which she quelled by announcing her successor. Him.

The Ashen Demon, Byleth Eisner, was due to become the next archbishop.

At the very least he wasn't the only one visibly stunned at the announcement. Albeit his shock lasted far longer than everyone else's. Almost in unison, the masses took the news with universal acceptance. Seteth, Dimitri, and the nobles of Faerghus had certainly given their approval, as had the Leicester Alliance. For Adrestia, well…Byleth wasn't going to hold his breath. Whenever he traveled the imperial realm, he was going to need nothing less than an armed entourage. That said, he was now one of the top five deadliest fighters on the entire continent and Adrestia had lost close to ninety-nine-percent of its fighting strength. Even Those Who Slithered in the Dark had been forced underground, deeper than before since almost the entirety of their chain of command had been slain. Byleth himself had unknowingly seen to that when he cut down the mysterious sorcerer called Myson.

Barring pocketed resistance that would never amount to anything, it seemed all the fighting was over with. But that meant that now everyone had to focus on something else, something much harder than destroying-building.

Byleth leaned forward and looked at his hands. He'd taken many lives with these hands, some of them he so dearly wished he hadn't, and yet here he was being asked to help rebuild a nation torn asunder by war. It was almost like some sort of cosmic joke.

"I suppose it's one you'd find a bit of humor in, wouldn't you, old friend?" Softly mused the minty-green-haired swordsman. He looked off to the side, half-picturing Sothis hovering there with an amused look on her face. She'd constantly poked fun at his instance all he knew how to do was fight, even as he gradually learned how to do other things, things that didn't involve shedding blood. She'd given him reviews, tips, criticism, advice, and the comfort of having someone to talk to.

He missed Sothis, he missed the advice she could give. Even when it came to romantic advice. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out the ring that had belonged first to his mother, then passed to his father who passed it onto him. He'd told him to give it to somehow whom he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. Byleth had found that person, or believed he had, but there were…complications.

For starters, in spite of what he'd promised himself before his parents' graves, he hadn't been able to tell Catherine so much as to how he truly felt about her. Now, he felt as if with his future as archbishop looming, he'd somehow missed his opportunity. What could he say to her now? He wasn't expecting her to recuperate his feelings, she'd already made it clear who she'd given her heart to.

What would be the point of telling Catherine that he loved her? So she could laugh in his face? Become uncomfortable at the fact that the head of the church she'd served for the last ten twelve years had feelings for her? None of those scenarios exactly clicked in his head, nor did it sound right to him.

"Looks like the saying is true, there's a cost for everything." Chuckled the former mercenary. "Well, no use in crying over spilled-"

It was funny how his senses worked. Before, he'd merely trained himself to hear something as light as pin drop from behind a closed door; after fusing with Sothis, Byleth had gained a noticeable enhancement in his sensory areas. It went beyond a sort of sixth sense at times, it felt almost like he could see and hear through almost all obstructions. He heard the sound of footsteps, heard the nervous breathing of someone approaching his office. It was extremely early in the morning, so early in fact that those like Seteth would likely still be catching their last moments of sleep.

Tucking the ring back into his pocket, he jumped from his chair and made for the door. Without missing a beat, he swung it open and found Catherine standing before him.

"W-W-Wow, I, um, guess you heard me coming, huh?" She nervously said, clearly caught-off guard by him. She wasn't the first, and odds were she wouldn't be the last.

"Sorry if I scared you."

"Oh, come on. I've had worse than this, besides," she smiled. "When it comes to you, I kind of expect it. I mean, when it comes down to it, you're one of the most alert people I know, not to mention the wisest. Both of which are probably why Lady Rhea thought to pass the reigns onto you."

"As to why, I'm still trying to figure out." He muttered.

Catherine crossed her arms, a look of mock thought on her face. "Hm, let's see now…you're strong, smart, patient to a fault, possess a deep compassion for those around you, blessed by the goddess, and lastly…" Grinning, she reached forward and ran her gloved hands through his minty strands. "You've _definitely _got the looks for it."

Thankfully, he didn't shy away from her touch. He merely chuckled at her listed reasons, especially the last one. "I still remember the time when you said I wasn't particularly good-looking. I'm gonna guess and say it's the hair, isn't it? Because it looks more like Rhea's?"

She knew that he was expecting a flat, yes. Catherine decided to give him something different, "No, I just had the chance to get a good look at you, the _real you_, and you're a pretty handsome guy."

That statement caused the future archbishop to blush hot pink, right in front of the woman who'd stolen his once silent heart. The warmth that rushed through him, at first, it confused him, but gradually he'd come to appreciate it.

"Um, I…well…I was wondering if you wouldn't mind…meeting me at the Goddess Tower in ten minutes. J-Just f-for a minute! I promise, it's nothing major like we're being invaded or imperial remnants are calling for a rematch." Confessed the rogue noblewoman.

"To be honest, I'm expecting those by the end of the week."

"Eh, there's a chance they'll come sooner. You know just a day ago I was almost deployed to the north-eastern side of the Empire to quell another rebel group." Waved off the tan-skinned woman. In truth, that incident had only been one of many, imperial pockets of resistance that dotted the Adrestian Empire, or what was left of it. "A-A-Anyways, y-you don't have to-"

"I'll be there." He answered with sudden forwardness that surprised even him.

"G-G-G-Good!" Stuttered Catherine, quickly high-tailing it down the hallway and towards the stares.

_**My, my oh my, it seems you two are finally moving to end this amusing but frustrating little tap dance. I'm glad to see you'll finally be moving onto something a little more…enticing to watch. **_

Rather than quickly spin around, Byleth merely laughed, then casually turned around. Of course, there was no one there, at least not one he could see. "Still a nosy little imp, aren't you?"

_**Considering just how reckless you are, I have no choice. A troublesome mortal like you so does require my intervention every now and then. Thankfully, for this, I am willing to let you go on your own. **_

Byleth looked back at his desk. It didn't look so cluttered now, but by week's end he knew that would change. The other question was what else would have changed as well.

With enough musings, he set out for the Goddess Tower, his mind racing with thoughts of what might await him there. He already knew Catherine would be there, but the question was what would she have to say to him. What would he say to her?

As soon as he was out the door, he caught a glimpse of the early morning sky. In perhaps ten or twenty minutes, the sun would begin to rise turning darkness to dawn and eventually day. The start of another new day. One thing that hadn't changed for Byleth was considering seeing each new day a victory. Even he if he was going from the battlefield to the stained-glass halls of the clergy his life would still be at risk. Arguably now more than ever. He found something oddly comforting in that fact; maybe because it meant that some things had stayed the same in spite of some much around and inside of him changing. Staying before the massive tower, Byleth silently noted that odds were something else was about to change.

His instincts told him to head to the top of the tower, and that's exactly what he did. Byleth could feel his nerves popping one after another like a series of firecrackers. The biggest one went off finding Catherine standing at the ledge, the rest of Garreg Mach and the surrounding wilderness stretched out behind her along with the slowly brightening horizon.

"Hey," he said. That was honestly the only thing he could come up with at the moment.

She looked visibly relieved to see him. "Sorry to bother you, Byleth, I, uh, know you're probably pretty busy at the moment. I mean, you're going to be the new archbishop, practically co-ruling Fódlan alongside Dimitri." A wistful laugh escaped the knight's limps as she let her head fall back. "It feels like just yesterday we were all back at the academy, you were just a professor and he was just a student and fledgling little prince. How time flies, huh?"

Byleth laughed. "How true that is. To be honest, I wouldn't mind heading back to those days….but not at the expanse of today and the future. I'm…I'm proud of him, of all my little cubs."

"Still gonna keep calling them that, aren't you?" Giggled the blonde. Admittedly, she did find it had a nice ring to it, Byleth's little lion cubs.

"Don't let them know, but I'm gonna try to keep calling them that until they start hitting thirty." Explained the former mercenary causing the pair to laugh in unison. "What is it you wanted to talk about?"

"It's…about…the future. Specifically, I've been…contemplating my future." She admitted, somewhat shyly. That was the first indicator that this was serious.

"You're leaving the knights to go tend to Rhea?" The words flew from his mouth, something that he was beginning to think was a bad habit of his. An unintentional side effect of becoming more attune to his emotions.

"Not…quite." Catherine said, her face becoming crestfallen. She noticed the sudden light in Byleth's eyes, as if a candle had been lit in the darkness. "I've been trying to figure that out. You see, I've always seen myself as a servant of Lady Rhea, not of the church. Now that she's stepping down, you'd think I'd want to follow her, keep protecting her, but I…I…"

Everything he knew about Catherine pointed to her doing exactly that, but here she was, telling him she was contemplating doing something _else_. Now that was an indicator the world was a new and unknown place.

"When we rescued her from the imperial prison, she told me to go to you. Actually, she pretty much screamed at me to leave her and go to you. I…I didn't have the heart in me to resist."

"Normally, you'd have carried her back to safety, _then _came to back me and the others up." Byleth noted.

She looked to him with a downcast smile. "If I had, Edelgard would have killed you, and I never would have been able to live with myself."

The Enlightened One's lips ticked upward. "Give me some credit, I've been in my fair share of scraps with the supernatural."

The knight responded with a slight smirk of her own. "Uh-huh, you were seconds away from freeing yourself when I busted through the roof and freed you. I'm pretty sure you need me watching your back just in case you ever end up in a real sticky mess…just like how I can always use you at my back." Catherine knew she hadn't said the truth, which was she _needed _him at her back. Steadily, she'd realized Byleth had been the true thing pushing her on through the war. Odds were, a part of her had realized what a vital piece of her existence he was when he suddenly returned to them, alive and well after five years. It would also explain why every time he was in mortal danger her heart beat so fiercely and her body moved with extra vigor. "Anyways, I did as she asked, but because I…I wanted to. Just before I left, she told me that she was grateful for all I'd done for her, but that it was time for me to…go to…where I was…meant to be."

Byleth blinked in naked surprise. "And you…don't think that place is at her side?"

"The world's really turned upside down, hasn't it?" Measly replied the blonde. "I couldn't help but think about what she said. It's dawned on me that I've devoted so much of my life to tending to Lady Rhea that I…I haven't ever really done what I wanted, not in a while. Now that I've got the opportunity to…I'm lost, I don't know what to do." Finally, she looked up at him with questioning eyes. "I suppose I could go back to Faerghus and take up the Charon name again, it's what my father would want…and my little sister would be overjoyed to see me again." A semi-humorous laugh escaped her lips. "It's taken me a while to realize in becoming Thunder Catherine…I had to abandon all the people who loved and cared for Cassandra Charon. Pretty a horrible thing to do, huh?"

"Maybe," he admitted before his entire face perked up. "But…that doesn't mean you can't go to them, make it up to them. They still love you; I don't believe they ever stopped loving you even after the fake accusation and everything that followed. While a lot of things may have changed…I don't think who you are as Catherine is different from who you were as Cassandra." A warm smile bloomed along his face. "From what I understand, you're as fiery now as you were back then."

She laughed, a sound that was comparable to the church bells in the distance. "You're damn right about that. However, it's that quality which would make me unfit for a noblewoman. I'm pretty sure you've gotten a good look at what court life is like, can you seriously picture me living like that?"

Crossing his arms, the Ashen Demon directed his gaze to the dawning sky. "I can picture it a little, mostly what you'd look like in a dress. Not exactly a bad image to be honest."

Again, she laughed, this time while playfully holding up her fist. "Hey now, I can still deck you pretty good, war hero or not, and certainly while you haven't officially been coronated as the new archbishop."

Returning her smile, Byleth said, "Then stay on as a knight. Staying a knight won't change who you are, it won't change the fact that you still love them…and that they'll still love you."

Briefly, the blonde Crest-bearer smiled, only to frown as she turned her gaze back to the ground. "It still wouldn't feel right though, falling back on knighthood just because it's what I know. It'd be…empty." While Catherine wasn't exactly the most eloquent person around, something that had caused her father no end of headaches, but she could make do at times. Specifically, when it came to speaking from the heart. She rose and found Byleth's eyes were locked with hers, his lips slightly agape. He knew exactly what she was talking about. "Doing something just because you can or out of some sort of ingrained instinct, that's a pretty dull way to live. If I can, I wanna avoid that. It would be different if I had a reason to continue being a knight…" she trailed off.

The twenty-one-year-old was accurately aware of his once still-heart beating rapidly.  
Such as…" he questioned suddenly feeling quite light-headed.

Catherine was very much in the same boat. All of her prior planning went out the window leaving her with one option-winging it as best she could. What was the worse that could happen? _This is the same guy that you stalked, threw swords at, and threatened to cut down. _Said a tiny and biting voice in her head. "Well," she started silencing the voice as if it were just another enemy. "If you told me you wanted me to remain a knight, that would be a good enough reason." That was true. "Or…if you said you wanted me to stay by your side forever." That was off the beaten path. "Or…if you…said you wanted to get married. For example." This was the part where she went over the cliff.

But there was somewhere there to catch her.

For a splint second, Byleth felt his heart stop, then begin beating again as the next words flew from his mouth like arrows from his bow. "Then marry me." Already, his hand was digging into his pocket for the precious item that his father had left him.

"W-W-Wait, a-a-are you being serious?!" Stammered the blonde.

He was down on his knee, his right hand holding up the shining multi-colored ring that had been passed down to him. "As serious as I've ever been about anything in my life."

His words completely and utterly knocked the wind out of her. For the unknown number of times, Byleth Eisner had silenced Thunder Catherine not with a sword or physical blow, but with words.

Blue eyes looked between the ring and the minty-haired man's face, trying to decipher the break in the illusion, or waiting for the dream to end. When she found neither, Catherine's mouth blurted open. "B-B-B-But I-I'm Thunder Catherine, whose very name frightens little children! Who possesses all the eloquence of a stampeding bull! Who knows what I might do to you!" Still, he continued to smile at her, sending the swordswoman into a near nervous breakdown. "I'm not good at cooking or sowing or anything remotely domestic! Why me?" She finished in a sudden shy and quivering voice.

Standing, or rather kneeling strong, Byleth answered her, "Well, I'm known as the Ashen Demon and I've been given a flee-on-sight designation so I guess we can both be avoided together. Also, you're not anywhere near as bad with children as you believe. Over these last five years someone's had to become an icon of heroic faith and strength." That little reminder caused her shyness to increase two-folds. "In case you haven't noticed, I'm not really one for eloquence, and I find your bluntness charming." She nearly fell back in shock hearing that part. "Cooking, sowing, and anything domestic, hm, pretty sure I can cover all of those things, at least when I've got the time to between being archbishop. Oh, and you're not that bad a cook, you actually make one delicious roasted steak and some great fried eggs. Those are all some good reasons, but I can think of one big one, the most important one-I love you." Finally finished the divine-empowered swordsman looking the blonde directly in the eye.

The full force of his words hit her, and sunk in deep. "You…love me." She repeated. Once verbally, and the second, third, and fourth times in her head. After the seventh time, it finally, well and truly sunk in. "You…love me." She repeated for a second time, verbally. The pink tint on her cheeks began to deepen, turning a scarlet red. "I…I'm glad to hear that…because I love you too, deeply." It had been years since she'd felt tears at the corner of her eyes. Who'd have thought she'd get them from a love confession? She watched Byleth's face light up with joy, just as the sun would illuminate the darkness in a few short minutes. "N-Now…having said all that, I'm sure I wish to remain a knight…and stay by your side. Would you accept that, Byleth? I know it's…usually supposed to be the other way around."

He laughed, his heart hammering in his chest only to slow down, then restart all over again. "I don't see anything wrong with that. I've always thought of you as the strongest, greatest knight that I've ever meant, and to have you at my side…well, it'd be a dream come true."

Those final words were all Catherine needed to hear, grabbing him by the shoulders, she hoisted him up then threw her arms around his neck. "Good!" She exclaimed in sweet relief. "After all, swinging a sword's pretty much been the only life I've known, but I'll be swinging it for you, and the rest of Fódlan!"

In spite of the joyous rush of emotions pumping through him, Byleth managed to hold onto the ring, and onto the woman he loved, who loved him back. "W-Well, if you marry me, you know that'll make you…well…people will call you a queen, the queen of Fódlan. Suppose you'll be sharing that title with Marianne who's going to be the Queen of Faerghus."

"You mean Dimitri finally purposed? It's about damn time!"

Byleth couldn't help but laugh. "Not quite, but he'll get there. In the meantime…seems I beat him to the punch, didn't I?"

Pulling back, Catherine giggled in amusement. Behind her, illuminating her already stunning hair rose the morning sun. "Well, you are his, and everyone else's teacher. You've got to set an example for them. As for me being called queen…" Throwing caution to the wind, she leaned forward and pressed her forehead against his, just as she'd done almost a week earlier before they set out for Fort Merceus. "So long as you're called my king, then I can take it. You're my…you're my everything." Finally, a lone tear slipped from her eyelids. Catherine didn't consider herself too much of a sentimental person, but this was a special moment. "From now on, the power of Thunderband is ours, not just mine."

"And so too is the Sword of the Creator." Added the minty-haired male removing his gloves. Catherine did the same, holding out her left hand. For a woman who lived her life on the battlefield, her hands were surprisingly clean and free of scars. A stark contrast to Byleth, in particularly his right fingers which held a diagonal scar across them. Smiling at her, he slipped the Eisner Family ring over her ring finger, finding it to be a perfect fit.

Catherine marveled at the fine piece of jewelry, immediately realizing that she was now bound to the man whom it belonged to. She couldn't have been any happier. "For now and forever, you can't escape me! I hope you're ready!"

"I do think I am." Laughed back the former mercenary.

Finally, they caressed each other's faces, free of their combat gloves and gauntlets. It was simply soft and tender skin touching. A moment later and it was wet lips pressing against one another. Who went first was hard to tell, but it didn't matter in the long run. This was something that both of them had silently been yearning for, and they were ready to enjoy it for all that the moment was worth even though many more would come in the future.

The demon looked to the knight, the mercenary looked to the fallen noblewoman; their stories had started out quite differently, yet it had led them to this one unifying moment. They were unified, there'd be an official ceremony later on, but it would merely be formality.

Wrapped tightly in each other's arms, the sword-wielding couple shared another passionate kiss, their bodies bathed in the glow of the rising sun.

Unseen by either of them, sitting atop the very summit of the tower built in honor of her, a little girl sighed in happy amusement. _**And so it seems Fódlan's future has passed to worthy vanguards. Perhaps I shall sleep…until next the one who bears my Crest awakens.**_

* * *

**And there we have, the end, for now at least. I've got two sequels lined up for this story-one exploring Byleth and Catherine announcing their engagement to their friends and family (with some surprise secrets coming out) and another…exploring the more…physical side of their relationship *cough* lemon. It's been fun writing for Byleth/Catherine and I look forward to doing so more in the future, specifically once she shows up in **_**Heroes **_**and I can write her developing a friendly rivalry with the other master swordsman who wields a blade with the power of lightning. Oh, and I'll be writing for some other **_**Three Houses **_**couples as well so if this little mini-series interested you, look forward to more in the future! **


End file.
